Burning For You
by Lollytron
Summary: She's an elite assassin with a thirst for vengeance. He's the object of her rage. When the two of them are forced together in a search for the Avatar, the world ignites. Zuko/OC. Complete.
1. Home In The Darkness

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything even remotely related to Avatar: The Last Airbender. I am merely a fan, and this is a work of fiction. All characters herein that are not from Avatar: The Last Airbender are my own creation, and do not belong to anyone but me. **

**I've only recently gotten into ATLA, so I hope this isn't too terrible. It's pretty much an AU fic, and it's set somewhere during Book One, but Zuko has the hair from Book Three. It just looks better, in my opinion :p This story is named after the Blue Oyster Cult song "Burning For You".**

**Enjoy! **

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"_The villainy you teach me I will execute, and it shall go hard, but I will better the instruction." -The Merchant of Venice, by William Shakespeare_

Kiya's world was engulfed in flames. The acrid smell of smoke burned her nose, and her eyes were streaming. She couldn't breathe past all of the thick air, and surrounding her were the crackling sounds as the flames leapt ever higher, trapping her in the tiny house. Above the burning, she could hear the terrible sound of screams. There was a hand on her arm-a soft, comforting hand. One that she knew. _Mother_. She could hear her father yelling from beyond the sounds of fire. "Rika! Grab Kiya and run! There's too many of them, there's just too many-" He abruptly shrieked, becoming just another voice lost in the din. Kiya dreamt in destruction. She opened her mouth to yell out for her mother, as the hand disappeared from her arm. Screams seemed to be enveloping her, and she couldn't block them out. As the fire began to lick its way up her limbs, she let out a scream to match all of the others echoing inside her head.

"Kiya!"

Kiya wailed, jolting up into a sitting position. Sweat was trickling down her face and back, and her chest was heaving. Already the nightmare was fading, and her heart rate was slowing, but she couldn't shake the eerie feeling gripping her bones. This was not the first nightmare she'd had, and she was certain it wouldn't be the last.

"Kiya! Are you okay?"

She looked up. Leaning over the top bunk was her friend, Onu. He was upside down, his fair hair dangling over the side of her bottom bunk like a curtain. His enormous blue eyes were concerned.

She nodded absent-mindedly, brushing a damp strand of her dusky red hair away from her face. "Yeah, I'm sorry…"

He flipped over the side of the top bunk, landing agilely on his feet. He sat down on the edge of her bed, patting her arm. "It's okay. Another nightmare?"

She nodded. "Worse, this time. I just… I don't know why I'm having the nightmares _now_. And especially this bad…" She passed a shaky hand over her face, breathing out a sigh. "I just don't understand."

"Maybe they're trying to tell you something," Onu replied. "I don't think they'd be cropping up now-and so frequently-if they weren't important."

Kiya swung her legs over the side of the bed, being careful not to hit her slight companion. "I'm sure you're right." She smiled at him. "You're always right."

Onu just shrugged, grinning. "Yeah, that's true …"

Kiya crossed their small room, going to the wardrobe there. She threw it opened and tossed on her usual uniform: her skin-tight black pants, tunic and gloves. She strapped on her belt-the one with her dagger sheaths at each hip-and tugged on her boots, too. As she looked over her shoulder, she saw that Onu was already dressed in a similar outfit, his staff strapped across his back.

"Did you have training today?"

Onu nodded, before his face brightened. "Oh! Gyong told me he wanted to see you." A shadow passed over his face, and when her friend smiled, it was dark and mysterious. "He said he has an assignment for you."

She nodded curtly, knowing exactly what Onu meant by those words. The two of them were only teenagers, but they were part of something that the world knew only as a myth. Kiya and Onu were both Black Vipers-part of a gang consisting of the world's most deadly assassins. They lived underground in secret, led by a fearless Earthbender named Gyong.

Kiya had known Gyong for as long as she could remember. As he had told her countless times, the village she had lived in had been raided by the Fire Nation. They had set the entire place ablaze, and had killed her parents, Rika and Xano. He and a band of traveling refugees had come across the village the day after, and had found Kiya. She had been the only survivor. As he repeatedly told her, she was lucky to be alive. From that day on, Gyong had cared for her like she was his daughter, and he had trained her in the arts of stealth and deception. Now, she was one of the best Vipers that he had, and he often chose her for the dangerous, solitary work he would only give to the masters.

Onu had also been there since he was a child, but he had arrived a few years after she had. His family had also been killed by the Fire Nation, and when he had arrived, they had discovered he was a Waterbender-inexperienced, but with a lot of potential. Now, ten years later at the age of fifteen, he was much more knowledgeable, but he still trained for hours at a time every day.

Kiya pulled her purple robe from inside the wardrobe-the robe that symbolized she was a member of the Vipers, and slipped it on. She pulled the hood over her head, her green eyes flashing. "Good. I'll be back soon."

"Good luck. And maybe you should ask him about your nightmares!"

"Okay!" She left the room, slamming the door shut behind her. Turning down the earthen corridor, she sprinted away, towards Gyong's quarters.

The entire headquarters of the Black Vipers was underground. It was made of tunnels and caverns that Gyong himself had carved out of the earth. It was a massive structure, filled with a hundred of the world's most deadliest murderers, and benders alike, all eager to train and become more powerful. There was a myriad of trapdoors and secret passages, and Kiya quickly ended up outside of Gyong's chambers. She knocked once, waiting for permission to enter.

"Come in." Gyong's voice rumbled deeply, like the foundations of the earth itself. The door swung open.

Ducking her head, Kiya passed through the opening and into the dimly lit cavern. Gyong was hunched over a bowl of noodles, stirring them eagerly with a pair of chopsticks. He smiled at Kiya when she came inside, and gestured for her to sit on one of the pillows around his table. He slurped up a mouthful of the noodles as the two of them sat down. She kept her head down and her hood up, respectfully waiting for him to lead her. Anything he said, went. His word was law, and it had been for as long as she had remembered.

"Onu relayed my message, I am assuming." Although she kept her head down, Kiya could feel Gyong's dark brown eyes boring into her.

She nodded, silent.

"I'm glad he is as reliable as I thought. I've summoned you here because I have an assignment for you-and this one is particularly important. It must be carried out with the utmost priority, discretion, and speed. Do you understand?"

Kiya nodded again. "What would you have me do, Master?"

Gyong smiled, wiping his mouth and drying his mahogany beard. He set his bowl down, and the sound was loud in the otherwise silent room. Kiya waited patiently, her hands clasped tightly and her head politely bowed.

"Kiya, your assignment is to eliminate Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation."

Her heart jumped in her chest, and she snapped her head up. "The Firelord's son?"

Gyong nodded. "The very same. He must pay for his crimes against the world, and surely it will deal a mighty blow to Firelord Ozai. Though exiled from the Fire Nation, the prince has embarked on a great journey to find the Avatar. He must be stopped at all costs." Her master paused, looking her over appraisingly. "I know what I am asking you is difficult beyond imagination. If you require, you may take some time to think about it…"

Kiya didn't need to think about it. The Fire Nation had killed her parents, and had destroyed her life. She had been ushered into a life of secrecy and darkness, and had killed her first person by the age of twelve. Rage burned deep inside of her belly, hotter than any flames they could consume her with. As far as she was concerned, Prince Zuko was already dead.

Kiya bit her lip, hesitating as she spoke. "Gyong, I know the importance of this mission. However, I would like to make one request."

"Yes?"

"I want Onu to come with me. The two of us have both been orphaned by the Prince and his peoples' foul crimes, and I think Onu would never forgive me if I left him out."

Gyong's mouth twisted into a smile, as he reached for his bowl once more. "He would be a powerful ally. Tell him he has my permission to go with you. The two of you will leave tomorrow."

Kiya rose to her feet, bowing to her master. Already, she could feel the thrill of the impending kill racing through her blood. Prince Zuko would pay, and he would burn like so many others had done at his feet.

"Consider it done."

It wasn't until later-much later-that she realized she had forgotten to ask Gyong about her nightmares.

* * *

Prince Zuko was aflame, fury spiraling through his core. He lashed out, spinning in a circle. Fire shot from his open hands, and he watched with satisfaction as his crew members ducked in fear, cowering from the vivid flames.

"You're all _useless_!" He roared, breathing heavily. His blood was boiling, heat rising to his face. "We're not getting any closer to finding the Avatar than we were when we first set sail! You have to work _harder_!"

The crew scrambled away, back below deck, as Zuko shot more fireballs around the top deck. If he didn't need them to run the ship, he would've done away with them all a very long time ago. They were all _imbeciles_! Nothing was going right, and nothing had been for a long time. Every time Zuko was close to capturing the Avatar, the young boy slipped through his fingers. It was _infuriating_! Zuko yelled, striking out again. Fireballs blasted into the sky, disappearing through the clouds.

"Prince Zuko, you should learn to calm yourself." His uncle Iroh was behind him, watching him with a wise expression on his lined face. "Why don't you come and sit, and share a nice cup of tea with me? It would do wonders for your nerves."

"I don't have time for tea!" Zuko spun around, facing his uncle. "Don't you understand, Uncle? There is nothing-nothing but the Avatar. I _have_ to find him. If I don't, I will never be able to return home, and restore my honor." He clenched his fists tightly. "I will be a failure." _Just as my father said I was. _

He had been at sea for two years-on the verge of three. Two long years, endlessly searching the world for any remnant of the long lost Avatar. And when he had finally found him, he had lost him. Again and again, the puny child had evaded him. And now? Now, he was so tired. He was tired of always moving, tired of being away from his home of the Fire Nation. He was tired of being a failure; the object of his father's burning hatred. He was exhausted of living up to everyone's expectations of him.

Iroh sighed. "Zuko, your obsession is consuming you. Please, you must rest. You haven't slept in days."

"No, Uncle! Just… leave me alone." Scowling, Zuko threw his shirt back on and strode off of the deck, going below to his quarters.

Iroh watched him go, feeling his heart ache for his young nephew. So much was put upon the banished prince, and his spirit did not deserve such chaos. He was a good boy, Iroh knew. He was just desperate to be loved and respected by his father, and confused as he followed his people's hatred on a path that would lead them all to the burning end. Some day, Iroh predicted that Zuko would find his way-and his true destiny-and he would be a far better Firelord than Ozai ever had been. Somehow, Iroh just knew.

Zuko slammed the door shut to his small quarters, tightening his jaw as he paced back and forth, his mind racing. His body was aching from the lack of attention. He wanted to sleep, but every time he shut his eyes, he saw the round, smiling face of that boy-Aang-and his fury kept him awake.

On the worst nights, Zuko thought of home, and he thought of his family. Not of his warring father, his absent mother, or his deranged sister, but of the one person he had felt like he had known-truly known. Irada. Granted, she had been the cause of a lot of his childhood misfortune, but he knew it was all because of Azula. In the many times when they had been alone together, Irada had shed her callous trappings, and had been a good friend to him-his only friend. As they had grown older, he was sure it would blossom into something more, and he knew they both wanted it to. But then he had been exiled, and he had not seen her beautiful face in two long years. Two long, anguished years without her laugh or her words of encouragement.

Closing his eyes, he could still picture her long claret hair, and the way her emerald eyes shined when she looked at him. He could still remember the last time he had seen her. It had been that morning, before he had sat in upon his father's war council, and before the Agni Kai between he and his father. Before the scar that would forever mark a father's lesson to his son. Azula had been walking by, with her loyal band of minions behind her. Irada was among them, and his sister had paused to gift Zuko with the usual verbal abuse, before going about her daily business. However, he had ignored his sister, and let his eyes stray to Irada. She had been smiling, and she had mouthed words to him that went straight to his heart. Words that he would cherish forever.

Zuko stumbled, and his eyes shot open. He paused in his ruminations, placing one hand against the wall to steady himself. He had almost fallen asleep in memories, standing straight up in his chambers. Ire coiled in his stomach, and he clenched his fists again, as flames shot up around them. _No. No weakness. Never a moment to stray from the objective. _

As he had said, there was nothing but the interminable quest for the Avatar. There was no nourishment, and certainly no time to dwell in the past. There was nothing to soothe the rampant turmoil inside of him, so he did what he could. He threw himself blindly into training himself to master Firebending, and he pored over the Avatar's trail. He would not fail this time. The Avatar was as good as his. There was no rest for Zuko, not while the Avatar stood in the way of his people.

There was no rest for the wicked.


	2. Burn Out The Day

_The fire you kindle for your enemy often burns yourself more than them. -Chinese Proverb_

Kiya paused along the path, kept out of sight by the thick copse of trees. A slight breeze pulled some scarlet strands out of her braid, tickling her cheek. Birds were trilling cheerfully, and the air smelled fragrant, like the beginning of spring. The sun was making its descent over the mountains, as twilight encased the earth. The sky was a dusky purple, tinged with orange, and delightfully free of clouds. It had been a perfect day for sailing.

And it would be a perfect night for murder.

Both she and Onu had left the underground headquarters of the Black Vipers two days prior, setting out after Prince Zuko on a tip from a spy who had seen his ship docked at a small town nearby. They had been following his trail since then, and had finally caught up with him. Now, they were ready.

"So you know the plan, right?" Kiya asked, looking at Onu over her shoulder.

He nodded, shaking his light hair out of his eyes. Despite his childish looks, she knew her friend was a force to be reckoned with. He was a powerful Waterbender, and there was no one at the Vipers compound who could beat him with a staff. She, personally, preferred a sharper weapon.

She tightened her gloves, and dropped her hands to the daggers she carried. One on each hip. They had been her first weapons, given to her by Gyong. The one she wore on her left hip was named Death-Omen, and had been the one she had used to make her very first kill. It had a bone handle; a crude, macabre symbol of what was to come for her victims. The other one was much nicer. Shadow-Song was the dagger she wore on her right hip, and it was slightly longer than Death-Omen. The blade itself was made of obsidian, taken from a volcano centuries before, and the handle was mother-of-pearl. It was a beautiful weapon, and looked far too lovely to take lives, but it did its job well and Kiya would never find it in her heart to complain.

Death-Omen and Shadow-Song would feast well in just a few short minutes.

"There!" Onu exclaimed in a whisper, pointing through the trees. Kiya swiveled, turning her head towards the beach, towards the expanse of water that lay before them.

Prince Zuko's Fire Nation vessel had just sailed slowly into view. Kiya's heart leapt in her chest. _It has to be him, _she thought. _Our information cannot be wrong._

"Are you ready, Kiya?"

She nodded. "Are you?"

Onu just rolled his eyes at her. "Oh, please. This is the easy part. This I could do in my sleep."

"Good. Make sure you stay awake, anyways!" She snapped her purple hood over her head, hiding her face and hair. She slid from between the trees like a shadow and raced down the beach as fast as she could, her light feet barely making any impressions in the soft, warm sand. When she reached the edge of the ocean, she threw herself inside, ducking beneath the dark blanket of waves.

A bubble surrounded her as soon as she submerged, allowing her to breathe and move. Onu was doing his job, hidden by the tree line. _The perks of being friends with a Waterbender_, she thought with a dark smile, as she swam as quickly as she could towards the moving ship.

Darkness fell, as the sun disappeared behind the distant mountains. Stars blinked to life in the sudden gloom, and the moon began rising, permeating the sky with its milky glow. The bubble around her widened and she felt herself moving faster. Onu's bending was benefiting from the celestial body, and he was using the advantage to help her in more ways than one.

Moments later, she was consumed by the shadow of the vessel. Following the ship, she broke upwards through the water and turned back towards the distant shore. Clicking her tongue, she whistled, making the sound of a bird. And then she waited. Seconds later, water gurgled beneath her, and it lifted her up into the air. When it was as high as the side of the top deck, she jumped over and landed into a stealthy crouch. She heard the loud splash as the twisting column fell back into the ocean, and she shook wet strands of her hair out of her eyes. Onu would be on his way soon.

There were only two Fire Nation soldiers on the top deck. She smiled, knowing exactly what this situation called for. She reached behind her, beneath her purple cloak and pulled out the wrapped coil on her belt. She let it unroll, watching as it grew into a whip that was ten feet in length, separating off into three different lashes, each one with a metal tip. Each tip was filled with a paralyzing poison that would knock out the target… too many strikes, and it would kill the target. Each Black Viper was given a whip of the same kind when they graduated to Master rank. Only two people in the underground colony had one: Gyong, and Kiya. The whips were known Viperstrikes, and had been labeled as a mythological weapon by more than one culture.

Sliding along one shadowy edge of the top deck, Kiya snuck within striking range. Throwing her arm back, she spun and whipped the lashes through the air. There was a cracking sound as one metal head struck the Fire Nation guard closest to her, catching him at his neck, between his helmet and his chest plate. He opened his mouth to cry out, but the poison quickly entered his bloodstream, and he crumbled to the deck.

His companion almost shouted in surprise, but Kiya downed him before he could alert anyone. Standing to her full height, she turned back to whistle to Onu, but a wet hand suddenly appeared, and she watched as another one of his geysers shot into view. Onu flipped in mid-air, and landed on the top deck, his feet making no sound. He pulled the water out of their clothes and hair, drying them off, before looking over at the two guards.

"Nice work. Will they wake up anytime soon?"

Kiya shook her head no. "This is where things will get difficult for you. Just hold on as long as possible. Stay here. I'll be back."

"Okay."

"And do something about those soldiers!" She called over her shoulder, as she quickly ran for the hatch that would lead her below deck. She slipped inside, sliding down the ladder and landing on all fours, like a cat. After getting on the ship, everything else was simple. All she had left to do was subdue all of the crew members, and kill Zuko. The rest until then was up to Onu.

Her golden-haired companion smiled wickedly, as he watched her descend into the ship. The smile stayed on Onu's face, as he grabbed one of the soldiers beneath his armpits and began dragging him towards the edge of the ship.

* * *

Prince Zuko had slept. He had slept for little more than a few hours, at the insistence of his uncle. Blissfully, he had dreamt of nothing, much to his relief. When he had finally woken up, he had felt more refreshed, but the flames inside of him burned ever higher. He had slept away valuable hours of daylight that could've been spent searching for the Avatar.

"_Prince Zuko!"_

Zuko paused, one hand frozen in the act of straightening his Fire Armor gauntlets. Was his exhausted mind catching up with him, or had he really just heard someone calling his name?

"_Show yourself, Prince Zuko!" _

Zuko's mouth tightened, as he straightened the red bracer. No, it was not his imagination. Was it the Avatar, finally showing himself and giving in to his inevitable fate? The Fire Prince finished dressing, and quickly ascended to the top deck. What he saw made him smile with derision.

It was just a boy. A small, thin boy not much younger than the Prince, with yellow hair and big, baby blue eyes. He was holding a staff, and glowering at the Fire Prince with as much anger as he could muster.

"You're the prince?"

Zuko nodded.

The boy slammed his staff against the deck, and the sound rang out across the ocean. "Then I challenge you!" He pointed the long weapon at Zuko. "You will pay for your crimes against the world, Prince. You will pay for the murder of my parents!"

Zuko almost laughed. "Well, you clearly know who I am. But who are you?"

The boy smiled. "Your worst nightmare."

Zuko snorted, fighting the urge to roll his eyes. _This_ little kid was challenging him to a fight, on his own ship? Insulting. He would have to teach the brat some manners. _Do not underestimate him, Prince Zuko_. He heard the voice of his uncle Iroh in his head, despite how much he wanted to block it out. _Remember the last time you underestimated a fighter's abilities based on their age._

Oh, Zuko remembered. Aang's childish face haunted his every waking moment; his insides burned with hatred for the idiotic boy. He wouldn't make the same mistake twice.

"Fine," Zuko said, assuming his battle stance. "Do your worst."

The young boy grinned, doing the same, holding his hands out before him. Before Zuko could ask what the child was waiting for, he saw the great wave as it rose over the side of his vessel. A wind whipped up as the wall of water grew higher, frozen in place by the tiny person in front of him.

_Of course_, Zuko thought, glaring at the child. His fingertips glowed to life. _A Waterbender. This should be fun._

_

* * *

_

It was hard not to reach out and kill Zuko as he ran past where she was hiding. Her hands immediately went to her hips, closing around the hilts of the daggers that had been her saviors for so many years. She had gritted her teeth, fighting to control herself as he disappeared from view. Kiya knew there was one other person to subdue, before she and Onu could complete their mission, and that knowledge allowed her to hold on.

Surely the prince's uncle, the great General Iroh, had heard the shout calling his nephew. Kiya could not allow the man to interfere with her plan, so she slipped from the shadows and ran on feather-light feet to the General's quarters.

She met him just as he was coming out of the door and into the hallway. His eyes opened wide in surprise, but she clapped a hand over his mouth and held Death-Omen to his throat. Before he had a chance to bend, she hit him over the head with the hilt of Death-Omen, and he was down, knocked out by the force of her blow. She quickly tied his hands and feet with some twine she'd had on her belt, and left him there, turning back the way she had come.

Now. She was ready.

Kiya arrived on deck just in time to see Onu knocked to the ground, a blast of fire knocking him off his feet. Every instinct inside of her was screaming to join him-to help him-but she knew her orders. She had faith in her friend's abilities. Her eyes went to Zuko, and she melded against the wall, hoping to remain invisible in the shadows.

He brushed a hand against his armor, an evil smirk playing on his lips. "Didn't your mother ever tell you not to play with fire?"

Onu struggled back to his feet, his face pained.

Zuko chuckled mirthlessly at his own joke. "Oh, right. I guess not… because my people killed her!"

With a cry of rage, Onu charged the prince with everything he had, bringing down another wave upon his cocky head. It didn't do much, as Zuko recovered quickly with a swift kick that knocked Onu back to the ground. He was up again a second later, managing to land some blows with his staff.

Kiya watched anxiously. All she needed was her window of opportunity: Prince Zuko's back to her, and Onu to distract him long enough for her to swoop in and make the kill.

She saw it the next time Zuko knocked her small friend to the ground. Feigning weakness, Onu crawled away on all fours, leaning against the opposite side of the deck. He was breathing hard, and sweat was dripping down his face. Zuko stood in front of him, his fingertips glowing with fire. This was her chance.

Ducking into a crouch, Kiya pulled her daggers out of their sheaths and made her way across the deck. Her heart was pounding so loudly that she expected Zuko to hear it, and discover her. She could already picture how it would happen in her head: she would come up behind him, grab him and slit his throat in one swipe. It would be painfully easy. She was right behind him-close enough to see her reflection in his armor-when her entire world shattered around her. In the reflection, she could see not only herself, but General Iroh, right as he threw a fireball at her head.

She threw herself out of the way, crashing onto the deck as the flames went spinning past them and out of sight. She was back on her feet in a second, barely even fazed, but she was no longer operating under stealth. That didn't bother her; she raised her arms, stepping forward to finish what she had come to do.

Zuko spun around, his face twisting as he caught sight of her. His eyes widened with disbelief, and his mouth dropped open. "Irada?"

Kiya froze. _Irada? Who the hell is Irada?_ Glancing down, she realized her cloth mask had come off when she had fallen, and now the prince had a spectacular view of her face. So much for anonymity.

Zuko seemed stunned, and he reached for her with one hand. "No… it can't be…" He stepped forward, inspecting her closely.

She wouldn't have stopped at all, but the way Prince Zuko was looking at her was odd. It was he like he knew her-or thought he knew her. He didn't even seem to notice the daggers in her hands, or the fact that she was about to kill him. His hand kept reaching for her face, and right as he was about to brush her cheek, there was a shout from behind them.

"Zuko! _Behind you_!"

Onu had gotten back to his feet, and had his staff raised above his head, about to hit the young Firebender.

Iroh's yell was just what the prince needed. Snapping out of his reverie, Zuko spun around with a kick. To Kiya's horror, it caught Onu in the chest and knocked him right over the edge of the ship. The world seemed to stop, as she watched her friend-her very best friend-fall from sight. There was a distant splash, and then nothing.

His staff clattered loudly on the deck, forgotten.

"ONU!" Kiya screamed, scrambling forward to look over the edge. There was nothing but water, a boundless view of water as far as the eye could see. No Onu, and certainly no indication that he was even alive. She wanted to scream again, she wanted to cry, she wanted to leap off the deck herself and look for him-

She emitted a cry as a hand grabbed her hood, and yanked her backwards by the purple cloth. It was Zuko. Her eyes watered as he tightened his grip, his fingers securing around her braid.

"Uncle! Are you all right?"

Iroh nodded, picking bits of singed rope off of his shoulders and arms. "I am fine, Zuko. What has happened here? I remember someone calling your name… and then I remember waking up in the corridor. Who is this?"

"_This_," Zuko shook Kiya slightly, and she gasped in pain, "is an assassin. A Black Viper, by the uniform. She was sent here to kill me. That boy was an accomplice of hers, but now he's gone."

Tears were streaming down Kiya's face now, and not all of them were because Zuko was hurting her. She had known Onu since she was a child. They had trained hard together under Gyong's rule, and had been there for each other through everything. He had always been the one to quiet her whimpers when she woke up from yet another nightmare; he had been the one to hold her close, despite her being older than him. The two of them had done _everything _together, and now he was just… gone.

"I'm taking her to the brig," Zuko was saying, as he forced the daggers out of Kiya's hands. She let them drop to the deck, not even willing to fight back. "Uncle, you see if you can revive some of the crewmen. We need to keep moving. Remember," He pulled Kiya away, towards the hatch. "We still have to find the Avatar."

Kiya let herself be dragged to the lowest deck, where the brig was. All she could think about was Onu. _If only I hadn't hesitated. If only I had killed Zuko. Then we'd be out of here, underwater and laughing about how Gyong would be so proud of us… he'd probably promote Onu to master now. It's all my fault_. _I've lost him and it's __**all my fault.**_

Some of the guards below had awoken from their unconscious sleep. A few barked commands from Zuko had them standing at attention once more, and he instructed them to remove her weapons and armor. She was given cloth pants and a tunic to wear, and her feet were left bare.

It wasn't until she had been thrown in her cell and the door had clanged shut behind her that she truly began to cry in earnest. And even then, she let no one see the tears falling down her face.


	3. Tangled In My Imperfections

_"The man that hath no music in himself,  
Nor is not moved with concord of sweet sounds,  
Is fit for treasons, stratagems, and spoils;  
The motions of his spirit are dull as night,  
And his affections dark as no such man be trusted."  
-The Merchant of Venice, William Shakespeare_

"_Zuzu… I love you."_

Those words had gotten Prince Zuko through most of his time at sea. Irada had mouthed them to him, a smile on her pink petal lips, from across a small courtyard. The sun had been shining, and a wind had blown cherry blossom petals all over the place. He remembered one had caught in her hair, and she had absent-mindedly brushed it away with one ivory hand. Her green eyes were burned into his mind.

He knew Irada inside and out. He was going to marry her once he returned; he'd known that since he was thirteen. So who was this mysterious Black Viper assassin, who had stolen Irada's face? Who was this woman who looked uncannily like his beloved best friend?

When her mask had fallen to the ground, and she had faced him, he had thought the earth had fallen away beneath him. He had thought the real Irada stood before him, but when he spoke her name, her face was only confused and she had advanced towards him, to kill him. He had thought he knew her, but she was an entirely different person.

A memory came to Prince Zuko, as he sat at the table in his quarters, his head in his hands. He and Irada had been at the Fire Court, having a picnic in a garden. He couldn't have been more than ten years old, and his face was scar-free. They had been chattering away like hog-monkeys, just telling stories and laughing back and forth, until things had gone quiet and serious.

"I love the Fire Nation, Zuzu," She had said, nibbling on a piece of fruit. "You know this better than anyone.

He'd only nodded, curious about her suddenly solemn demeanor.

"Well, sometimes…" She paused, her eyes flicking up to his face. "You can't tell anyone this, Zuzu. It's a secret."

"'Kay."

"Do you promise?"

He had rolled his eyes. "I promise! What's the secret?"

"Sometimes…" Her words were soft, and the fruit lay forgotten in her palm. "I feel like there's a piece of me missing." She smiled suddenly. "Like when your Uncle Iroh loses his white lotus piece when he plays Pai Sho!" The smile vanished as quickly as it had come, and her face scrunched up like she was thinking hard. "I feel like there's a piece of me out there, waiting for me to find it. But I don't know what it is."

When he was that young, he had thought that maybe Irada had just needed someone to love her, to fill that empty place. After all, she had been adopted. Maybe she was longing to find her real parents, wherever they were. But now that he was older, he understood better. Zuko had a feeling that he knew what she had been talking about. It was the only theory that made sense, concerning both Irada, her adoption, and his mystery assassin.

He snapped his fingers, and a scribe instantly appeared at his side. "I need you to write a letter for me," He said, pulling his tunic on over his head. "And I need it to be sent _today_."

The scribe nodded fervently. "Of course, Prince Zuko." He dipped his brush into his inkpad, and held it above the scroll. "To whom am I addressing it to?"

"Irada, of the Fire Court. Tell her that I've found someone of great importance to her… I've found her missing piece."

"Done, Prince Zuko." The scribe left as quickly as he had appeared, blowing on the scroll to dry the fresh calligraphy.

Maybe it was wrong to assume what he didn't entirely know. But he had a feeling that he was right. He was certain that he had found what she had been searching for her entire life. He didn't want to believe it; after all, the girl had tried to kill him. But it was the only thing that made sense. Zuko had a feeling that he had just found Irada's twin sister, the one that she had never known she'd had.

He hoped he was right, if only to bring some closure to Irada. He hoped he was wrong at the same time, certain that she would not feel happy knowing who her sister was.

Speaking of… it was about time he got to know who she was. She had been waiting in the brig for long enough. With a determined look, Zuko began donning his armor.

* * *

Gold eyes stared out of the blackness. Kiya watched as Prince Zuko materialized in the brig, banishing the two guards there with a flick of one hand. That left the two of them completely alone. He waited until the guards' footsteps faded, before he began his pacing, his hands clasped behind his back. Her eyes followed his every move; he was like a patient tiger, eyeing its prey.

He did that for what seemed like an eternity. Neither of them looked away. They were each testing each other, challenging the other to yield first. When she didn't give him the satisfaction that he desired, he scowled.

This was the perfect time for her to get a look at the prince. She had never seen him before, but she had seen his parents in paintings, and the resemblance was definitely there. He had the same raven hair and golden eyes, and the same striking cheekbones and angular features. His hair was longer than she expected, falling over his face and almost hiding the dark scar on the left side of his face, the one flaw that marred his otherwise perfect face. She could tell he was the son of the Firelord by the way bitterness had shaped his mouth downward, and the way malice shone a light in his eyes.

They were the same age, she and him. It seemed strange, that they were both so young and yet each of them had done things and seen things that some children would never have to experience. He was a prince, and had countless responsibilities weighing upon his shoulders. She was an assassin, and lived her life in darkness, in seclusion. In a way, they were both exiles-he from his people, and she from normalcy.

She remembered the first kill she had ever made. He had been a Fire Nation soldier. She had thought it would be satisfying, after what had happened to her parents, and it was, to an extent. She had enjoyed seeing the light leave his eyes, and she had rejoiced in the knowledge that he would never orphan another little girl like her… but then she saw him in a different light. She realized _she_ had just orphaned some small children, and had widowed a woman who would be anxiously awaiting his return home. She had destroyed dreams and memories, and she had snuffed out someone's very soul. Afterwards, she had been violently ill, and had started crying. She had felt guilty beyond compare. Gyong had quickly fixed that, beating the emotions out of her every time she felt them come crawling back up, until she was devoid of any feelings that would hinder her ability to do her duties.

Emotions were a weakness. They left you vulnerable. There was nothing to do but block them out. Better to do the killing, than to get killed.

So she watched Zuko with a blank face. And she waited.

Two days, she had been rotting in the cell. Two days without food or water, and only the guards for company. She hadn't slept, and she certainly hadn't dropped her guard. She had been waiting for the prince of the Fire Nation to lower himself, and visit her in the brig. She had been waiting for his interrogation.

She was waiting for him now, to speak.

He paused, staring down at her through the metal bars. "What's your name, assassin?"

She brushed her hair away from her face, leaning back against the bars of her cage. She just stared at him, saying nothing. She wanted to kill him for what he had done. She wanted to reach through the bars and strangle him, until his windpipe collapsed beneath her hands and his eyes became dull and lifeless. He had just murdered her best friend, and he expected her to _talk to him_? No. Never. She'd kill him first.

Zuko's eyes flashed with anger, and he stepped closer to the cage. He leaned forward, his hands on his knees. "You're a Black Viper, aren't you?"

She merely raised an eyebrow at him. He knew she was one of them; he'd said so on deck. Why was he asking stupid questions?

"Who sent you?"

She jerked her chin up, meeting his gaze defiantly. Even if she knew, she'd never tell him. If there was one thing she knew about the world, it was loyalty, and she would never betray her fellow Vipers. They were the only family that she had.

He grabbed the bars, leaning against them as he bared his teeth at her. "_Who sent you?"_

Kiya just smiled. It was interesting to watch him get infuriated. It was a funny thing, knowing that he was the esteemed prince, yet she was the one with all the power.

Zuko composed himself, straightening up and tossing his hair away from his face. "Fine. I could take you out of there, you know. I could take you out, chain your hands, and whip you until you talked." He paused, angling his face towards her. "But that still wouldn't work, would it? If you truly are a Black Viper, than I'm sure you know of the Blank State."

She narrowed her eyes at him. How did he know about the Blank State? One of the fundamental lessons that a Viper learned was to completely erase feeling and emotions from their body, letting their mind go entirely blank. It was a technique they used in situations much like Kiya's, when they were apprehended and forced to talk. When they assumed the Blank State, they would go into a trance, and wouldn't make any sound or give any indication that they even knew what was happening.

Kiya had only gone into the Blank State just once. She had been caught by a rival assassination society, and beaten in the hopes of spilling information on the Vipers' whereabouts, but she had done the technique as Gyong had instructed her, letting go of all of her earthly ties, and what remained was an eerie feeling of nothingness. She felt like she was floating, traveling in a misty dream-state. She didn't really remember what happened after that; she woke up later with broken bones and a battered body. Her interrogator had beaten her senseless in frustration, but she hadn't given away anything, and that was the point. Sometimes, everyone has to make sacrifices.

"Exactly," Zuko said, as the recognition of the term passed over her face. "I'm actually surprised you haven't already done so. So I suppose I'll get no useful information out of you, will I?"

Kiya just smiled at him knowingly. He was asking questions just to hear his own voice. Playing stupid wasn't going to get anyone anywhere.

He sighed quietly, turning away from the cage and pacing again. He stayed that way for a long time, for so long that she thought he had forgotten about her. She shifted, wincing as the bars dug into her back. The moment was stretching on before them, and his stare was getting increasingly uncomfortable. She decided to take a chance, if only to dig herself further beneath his skin.

"Who's Irada?" Her voice was hoarse from the silence.

The subtlest shadow passed over his face, and he froze. "What?"

"The other day, when you first saw me… you called me Irada. I was wondering who she was. Another assassin, perhaps?"

Zuko glared at her, folding his arms over his chest. "It's _none of your business _who she is. For a moment, I thought you were her. It was a trick of the light. I made a mistake, that's all." He laughed bitterly. "Of all the things you could talk about, you choose _her_."

She thought she heard some wistfulness in his voice. He had wanted her to be Irada, whoever this girl was. Probably some forgotten flame from his childhood. She almost laughed at the pun, but there was really nothing funny about her situation. Her best friend was dead, it was her fault, and she was stuck in a cold cell at the mercy of the demon who had haunted her dreams for so long.

Then, surprisingly softly, he said, "Your friend isn't dead, you know."

It was hard to even fathom that her good-natured friend was gone. She could still see Onu when she closed her eyes, and every now and again, she was certain that she heard his high laughter. Sometimes it felt like he was still there, still alive. However, the ache inside of her, just below her stomach, told her otherwise.

Kiya's head snapped up, and she glared at him. "You killed him. I watched you."

"No, I didn't." Zuko shook his head. "All I did was knock the air out of him. Do you really think that a _fall_ _into water_ would kill a Waterbender? You're more stupid than you look. He's alive."

What Zuko said made sense, as much as it stung to admit it. Her instincts, however, were screaming at her not to trust him. "You could be lying."

"I could be." He tilted his head. "But I'm not."

The two of them relapsed into silence once more. She didn't know what to say. What if he wasn't lying? The hope was almost too much; it made her head spin. What if Onu was alive? What if he had simply swam away before she could see him, and had pulled himself to safety back on the distant shore? She had to hope, even though she might be disappointed in the end. She had to hold on to something.

Suddenly Zuko spoke again. "Listen, Viper, I think you're extremely talented. Who else could take down an entire Fire Nation ship in only a few minutes? That's why I have a proposition for you. A chance to work together." He paused.

"Go on," She prompted, and the corners of his mouth twitched. She was talking now, and that was enough for him.

"I know you hate me, and you don't trust me. That's understandable, seeing as I hate you too. But I think I can help you. I will personally find out which soldier killed your parents, and I will let you do whatever you want to him."

The thought was appealing, she had to admit. But after she was done with that, she'd likely also kill Zuko. One word of advice she was glad he hadn't seem to have heard was _never trust an assassin_. Especially not one who was sent after you in the first place. Now that she thought about it, it wasn't such a bad idea… anything to get her out of the brig, and within arms reach of a weapon. She could escape, and still fulfill her contract.

"What will I have to do in return?" Her mind suddenly wandered to the possibilities of his request, and she couldn't help the faint heat that rose to her cheeks. She may have been one of the world's top assassins, but she was also still a sixteen-year-old girl.

The same thought seemed to have crossed Zuko's mind, as he abruptly turned away from the cell, and spoke to the wall in front of him. "I want you to help me find and capture the Avatar."

She laughed out loud. "_The Avatar_? Everyone knows that's just a legend." She didn't want to waste her time chasing ghosts, especially not with the Fire Nation. She was going to have to decline this accord.

Zuko turned to face her again, a haughty expression on his face. He raised his good eyebrow, his tone mocking. "Oh? Like the Black Vipers?"

She fell silent, frowning. As much as she didn't want to admit it, he had a point. The Black Vipers notoriety was extremely well-known, and many parents threatened their children with the assassination society's services if they didn't get to bed on time, or eat their vegetables.

Kiya huffed out a breath. "Fine. I'll do it." _Only so I can get the hell out of here and make you bleed for what you've done._

Zuko looked momentarily surprised. "What?"

"I'll help you!" She grumbled, rolling her eyes. "I'll help you find the Avatar, as long as you keep up your end of the bargain."

"Of course." His gold eyes looked menacing in the dark. "Should we make it official?"

Kiya replied sourly, "I would, but I'm rather _indisposed_ at the moment."

Zuko went to the chest against the wall and opened it with a key he pulled forth from the confines of his armor. He pulled out her dagger, Shadow-Song, and brought it back to the cage. He held it up above his left hand, preparing to slice. Just before the blade met flesh, he paused, sliding his eyes over to look at her.

"Do I have your word that when I hand this to you, you won't try and kill me?"

Kiya sighed, wearily getting to her feet. The cage floor was uncomfortable to sit on, and staying still for so long had made her stiff. She stretched, wincing as her muscles loosened. "There is nothing I could possibly say to make you trust me, or my word," She said, holding on to two of the bars. "But let's just say for one moment that you do trust me." She closed her eyes, bowing her head with mock solemnity. "I give you my word that I will not attempt to kill you when you hand me my weapon."

Zuko glanced at her with annoyance. "A promise would've sufficed." He brought the dagger down on his hand, slicing his palm. It opened his skin easily, and blood spilled forth from the wound. He hissed between his teeth, the only sign that he felt any pain at all. Almost hesitantly, he handed the dagger to Kiya.

She did the same, quickly slashing her left hand. It barely even stung. She held her left hand out, and the two of them shook. His blood was hot against hers, and she felt a tingle of electricity shoot up her arm. She took her hand back as soon as she could.

"There." She took her hand back, licking the blood off of her palm in one wet swipe. Zuko stared. "What?"

"Your dagger."

"Oh," She said, too sweetly. She smiled, and she was sure there was blood on her teeth. "Of course. Here you are, O Prince." She handed it over, fuming mentally as she watched him toss it carelessly back into the chest and lock it shut once more.

He paused at the door, turning back once. "I'll let you out of there when you've proven that I can trust you."

She dipped her head in a nod. She would've done the same, if she was in his position. But then, she still wouldn't trust them. She hadn't ever trusted anyone, except Onu and Gyong.

He paused again. "If you try and double-cross me, I will kill you."

Kiya nodded again. She was going to kill him, whether he double-crossed her or not. He had (almost?) killed her best friend, and was responsible for the deaths of so many others. He was going to pay; his entire family was, when she sliced his throat open. The image of that act calmed the fury that swamped her body, and helped her to remain patient.

She watched him go, waiting for the guards to return. She knew Zuko was lying about releasing her, and she knew he was lying about the soldier. He might let her kill the soldier that had murdered her parents, but he would never let her go. She only hoped he knew that she was lying too. It wouldn't be any fun if there was an unfair advantage-for him, anyways.

The guards came back into the room, stationing themselves on either side of the door to the brig once more. Kiya laid down facing them and surreptitiously scratched at her leg, just beneath her left knee. Shifting her body into a better position, she reached up under her pant leg, scraping the skin there with one sharp nail. When she felt blood well, she knew she had succeeded.

While foolish, arrogant Prince Zuko had known she was a member of the Black Vipers, he didn't seem to know one of the defining trademarks the society used. Each new member was branded with a magic tattoo in a discreet place, usually the back of the knee or neck. When the tattoo bled, it activated, and when that happened, it acted as a homing device for all of the other members. So if Gyong hadn't known what had become of his prodigy, he had now.

All Kiya had to do now was wait.

* * *

**A/N: Just to be clear, I wanted to say that Kiya, Irada, Onu, Gyong, Rika and Xano are all characters that I've created. Anyone else belongs to the ATLA universe. More chapters soon :)**


	4. Burn Out The Night

_"The most powerful weapon on earth is the human soul on fire."-Marshal Ferdinand Foch_

Kiya lost track of time. There were no windows to give her any indication if it was light or dark outside. She hadn't seen Zuko since they had struck up a deal, but she knew that days had passed since then. The only way she knew was when the guards brought down her meals. She received two each day, but she only drank the water. She didn't trust the food; who knew what poisons it was loaded with?

She spent the days plotting. It was the only thing that helped her stay sane. If she didn't focus on escaping, her mind went to dark places. One such night, she couldn't sleep. She was too mad at herself to relax. All she could think about was how badly things had gone wrong. She was a _master_. She shouldn't have made such rookie mistakes, like knocking Iroh out with her knife instead of her Viperstrike, and being too impatient. If Onu was really dead, than she deserved all of the remorse. She deserved all the pain. There was no excuse for how she had acted. She knew that later, she would pay at the hands of Gyong.

By the fourth day she'd been down there, she was ready. She had a rough plan sketched out in her head, and she knew what she would do afterwards. She would break out, and swim back. It would be hard without Onu, but she would manage. Then she would eventually struggle her way back to the underground headquarters, and she would tell Gyong everything that had happened. She would beg for forgiveness for her mistakes, and after that… she didn't know. It was up to Gyong what happened after that.

The guards brought down her usual tray of rice and water. She watched them with sullen eyes. The rice smelled delicious, but she wouldn't give in. It was too dangerous. Instead, she gulped down the water, finishing it off within seconds. The guards just shook their heads.

One of them smiled to his companion. "She'll die before she'll help the Prince. I think that's her plan, at the rate she's going."

The second guard shook his head. "Prince Zuko will kill her before he lets her take the easy way out. He's desperate. I bet you ten gold pieces."

The first one laughed. "You're on!"

Kiya watched them over the rim of her cup, her eyes narrowed. _I'll bet everything that I have that if it comes down to the prince and I, only one of us will walk off of the battlefield… and it certainly __**won't**__ be him. _

She couldn't help her smile, as she gently set the cup back down on the tray. Tonight was the night, and nothing-not even the idiotic guards-were going to ruin it.

* * *

Zuko was being devoured from the inside out, burned alive by his own thoughts.

He couldn't get Irada's face out of his mind-the face that his mysterious assassin shared. He still didn't know her name or anything about her, only that she shared the visage that had helped him sleep so many times over the years. Was she truly the twin of the girl from the Fire Nation, as he had originally suspected? Or was it just cruel coincidence? He thought they had to be related. There was just too much there-in the looks and the attitude. It was uncanny.

He felt a strange pull towards her, but whether it was because she resembled his girlfriend or not was what eluded him. All he knew was that the mystery girl was the only thing on his mind-and he found that annoying. So Zuko did something stupid, something that he knew he shouldn't have. But he just couldn't stay away.

_Maybe if I just take one look_, he thought to himself. _Just one look to get her out of my head, so I can focus on the Avatar again._

Zuko rolled off of his bed, slipping his robe on. He crept out of his room, closing the door as quietly as he could behind him. Making sure no one was around, he disappeared down below deck, to the narrow corridors of the brig. It was a foolish notion that he had, but he found it too hard to think otherwise. He needed to see her, to remind himself that it wasn't Irada, wasting away in a cell.

The guards were inside the brig when he arrived, and without a word, he dismissed them. He didn't care what they thought he was going to do. It didn't matter what they thought of him, so long as they feared his flames. The brig was silent, and lit only by two lamps on the wall, each on either side of the door. Zuko slipped into the shadows, away from the flickering light, so he could watch without being seen. He put his back to the wall and slid down until he was seated, his arms folded over his chest.

It wasn't the first time he had snuck down to the brig in the dead of night, and he was certain that, as long as she was there, it wouldn't be the last.

She was motionless against the bottom of her cell, her face hidden by her curtain of scarlet hair. Her arms were wrapped tightly around her legs, and she seemed to be sleeping. He watched as her body rose up and down, as she breathed slowly. She looked thin, he noticed, and he wondered if the guards were feeding her the proper rations. He'd have to talk to them later, once he left. For now, however, he was content to just sit there, and watch her sleep. It comforted him, to see someone-especially this girl who resembled Irada-look so peaceful in sleep. It reminded him of a time long since past, when he and Irada had spent lazy summer afternoons on the beaches of Ember Island, too wrapped up in each other to do anything else.

The recollection filled him with a longing so strong that it made his head spin.

His quiet, night serenity didn't last long. She moved suddenly, raising her head ever so slightly. She stayed that way for a long moment, as if listening. Zuko's mouth dropped open, but he remained silent as the girl began to sit up. She rose to her bony knees, kneeling in front of the cage door. There was a flash of metal between her fingers, and he watched as she began picking the lock.

He was so amazed that he forgot she was his _prisoner_.

There was a clicking sound, and she froze. She backed away from the door and sat back down. She was waiting and listening, to make sure no one had heard. After another long moment, she silently nudged the door to her cell open and scuttled out. Zuko almost wanted to laugh, as he heard the click of another lock. Of course. She was opening the chest, to retrieve her armor and weapons. She was trying to escape. He rose back to his feet, keeping to the shadows as he edged around the wall. What he saw made him blanch.

There was no one there. The chest was open, as was the cell, but she had vanished. He stepped forward, into the light of the torches. He looked down into the chest, frowning. Why would she take only one of her knives? He was certain there had been two. And why had she left all of her other belongings, including her armor?

The realization struck him at the same time that she did, swinging down from the ceiling and knocking him onto his back.

Suddenly it wasn't very funny anymore.

* * *

The guards were stupid not to check her hair for pins.

She had picked the lock easily, as she had practiced a thousand times under Gyong's careful instruction. After the cell had swung open, she had immediately gone to the weapons and armor chest, needing to feel the familiar hilts in her hand.

But something had made her freeze, even as she swung the container open.

It had been easy to escape from the cell, and run to the chest that held all of her worldly possessions. Too easy, which is why Kiya had paused, thinking. It took her all of two seconds to realize what had been missing: the guards. Where had they gone? Why weren't they stationed at their post? Surely they feared Prince Zuko enough that they wouldn't disobey a direct order?

Another two seconds passed, during which she remembered the way Prince Zuko had dismissed the guards days before. Silently. With a wave of one hand. She knew then she wasn't alone, as she had thought. She had grabbed the closest weapon in the chest, Shadow-Song, and clenched it tightly between her teeth, careful not to cut her lips. Then she'd stealthily jumped on top of the table, and swung herself up to the ceiling. Although she hadn't eaten in days, she was strong, and she could still hold herself between the panels of metal that made up the roof. And then she waited.

It didn't take long for Prince Zuko to stroll into view. He went to the chest, probing its insides. He appeared confused, and for a split-second, Kiya wanted to laugh. She wanted to laugh until her muscles ached, because it was just so damn funny when she thought about it. Everything seemed so much better than it had days before. She had the hope inside of her that Onu was alive, she had gotten out of her cell, she had outsmarted the prince of the Fire Nation, and in a few minutes, she was going to kill him. After that, she'd escape. Simple.

Biting down hard on Shadow-Song's blade, she swung back down from the ceiling, her feet hitting the Fire Prince square in the back. The two of them toppled to the ground. Unfortunately, Zuko was faster than her, and he was back on his feet in an instant. She pulled the knife from her mouth, holding it up menacingly as she rose to a crouch.

"We had a deal!" He exclaimed, breathing hard. His golden eyes were wide with shock; the right wider than the damaged left.

"I lied!" She retorted, springing forward, slashing through the air.

He dodged, grabbing her by the arm and shoving her to the ground. She spun and kicked out with one leg, knocking his feet out from under him. They grappled like that back and forth, each of them refusing to give quarter. However, it didn't take long for Kiya to feel her body begin to protest. She was too weak to fight for much longer, and she could feel the strain of her muscles as they began to fail her.

Zuko caught her off guard, and he slammed her onto her back. Shadow-Song slid from her grasp and spun away on the metal floor, gleaming in the firelight. Zuko held one arm up to her throat, pressing down hard enough to make her choke.

"What made you think you could actually escape is beyond me…" He muttered. "You're not as crafty as you'd like to think, Viper. I've caught you… again."

But he hadn't. Kiya knocked the side of his face with her elbow, pushing him off long enough for her to scramble towards Shadow-Song. She caught a hold of the hilt just in time to dodge Zuko's next attack, and he went crashing to the ground once more.

"Are you a Firebender, or aren't you?" She asked, grinning at him savagely as he got back to his feet. "Scorch me already."

"I would certainly like to!" He tossed off his robe, his sleeping pants his only remaining clothes. Already, she could see the slick of sweat on his bare skin.

"Then do it!"

He shot out with one fist, a blazing trail of fire sent towards her. She ducked and slid forward across the metal floor on her knees, wincing as she scraped her skin. When she was near enough to Zuko, she hit the backs of both of his knees, and he buckled to the ground again. He grunted, as Kiya flipped him over onto his back. Pouncing, she landed on top of him, straddling him and keeping his hands in place with her knees. Snarling, she held Shadow-Song up to his neck, and he flinched slightly at the feel of a cold blade. She panted, a bead of sweat dribbling down her collarbone and sliding off of her skin. It splashed to a landing on Zuko's bare chest.

"Well," He said, breathless from the fight. A smirk twisted on his face. "You're not bad, for a girl."

She let a wicked smile bloom on her mouth. "Right back at you." She dipped over him, to whisper in his ear. "Looks like _you're_ not as a crafty as you think, Prince."

He growled low in his throat, and she edged the knife closer, slicing his skin. A thin line of blood welled up, but didn't spill over. Zuko hissed, his amber eyes narrowing in anger.

Kiya's mind was whirling. She had to come up with a plan, but it was difficult. She hadn't eaten anything in all the time that she had been held captive, and she was drained from the fight. Her head was light, and vertigo hit whenever she moved too quickly. She had fought hard, and it had taken a lot out of her. She was trying to keep from shaking too visibly, lest the arrogant prince find any weakness to exploit. It was hard to think, and she shook her head slightly, trying to clear her mind.

_Focus_. She heard Gyong's voice inside of her head. _Focus your energy, and ground yourself. The power you need to complete the task shall come from within. _

She took a deep breath, and despite the possible implications of the action, closed her eyes. She tried to imagine herself on her feet, steady and strong. She pictured herself well-rested and full of food, without a doubt in her mind that she could accomplish what she had set out to do.

Zuko chuckled darkly from beneath her. "What are you doing? Finish me. It's what you came here to do, isn't it?" His voice dipped down into a croon. "It's what you came here to do, and yet you've _failed_…"

"Shut up!" Kiya whispered, her eyes snapping open. She couldn't focus with him jabbering away; his voice was like poison in her ears. "You shut your mouth."

Zuko laughed again, louder this time. "You can't kill me! If you could, you would've done so already! Some assassin you are… I really must have a word with your leader, this is just getting embarrassing…"

"Shut up!" This time, she cut him, and the blood began to seep down his neck and over the blade's edge. "I'm trying to decide if I should kill you now, or later…"

She could kill him now. She _should_ kill him now. She had explicit orders to do so, whether or not she'd been apprehended. Then she wouldn't have to worry about escaping. She could just end him, and get away without someone trying to stop her. And she did want to get away, more than anything. She didn't want to be around the Fire Nation any more than was necessary, and she had already been on the prince's ship for days.

But something stayed her hand. She didn't know what it was. It was some emotion, quelled deep inside of her. It had something to do with the sadness she saw, hidden behind Zuko's actions, and the bitterness in his eyes. Something told her he wasn't who he claimed to be, and he certainly wasn't who he said he was. There was something in him that he was holding on to, something Kiya felt that she could almost… relate to. The very thought of her being able to _relate_ to him made her throat burn, but she felt the truth of the feelings, nonetheless. He was dressed up as himself, disguised as an idea of the person he should be, and striving towards an impossible goal. Kiya knew what that felt like, as she sought vengeance for the murders of the parents she hadn't really known.

But he was the prince of the Fire Nation; a prince of the people who had slaughtered her parents, and countless others. He deserved no mercy, especially not from her. So why wouldn't she just kill him?

Kiya sat up, adjusting herself. It was hard holding herself up, when she could barely move, and Zuko's bony hips weren't exactly the most comfortable place. As she shifted, so did Zuko. With a rapt fascination, she watched as Zuko's eyes dilated, and his lips parted slightly in a sharp intake of breath.

There was no amusement in his eyes now, when he noticed her fascinated stare. "Just get it over with. Kill me. Trust me, my father will thank you later." His words were a whisper, and there was no mistaking the gasp in his voice.

Kiya wondered briefly if she had hurt him more than she had realized. Perhaps she had broken a rib, or injured him internally? She moved again, testing his reactions. His eyes flashed with some unidentifiable emotion, and he bit his lip. Kiya felt his hand twitch beneath her knee. She analyzed him, as he glared at her. He didn't seem to be in any extreme pain, or any pain at all, really, besides the small cut on his neck. And that had already stopped bleeding. Kiya narrowed her eyes at him, wondering exactly what he was playing at, before the sudden realization hit her. It took every ounce of her strength not to give away her newfound knowledge, and to keep her gaping mouth shut.

The plan formed in her head less than a millisecond later. It was so easy; she was almost shocked she hadn't thought of it before.

Kiya relaxed her body. She let her eyelids fall over her eyes, heavy and sultry, as she licked her lips. Slowly, she leaned forward against Zuko, until the two of them were chest to chest. She kept Shadow-Song in place, but her free hand strayed to his face. He flinched as she brushed her fingertips against the edge of his scar, his eyes narrowing to slits. He opened his mouth to say something-to protest, no doubt-but at that exact moment, Kiya placed her mouth against his.

Shocked at first, Zuko tensed, tight-lipped and stoic. He was suspicious, and therefore, not as stupid as she'd initially thought. But Kiya had found his weakness. She moved her hips against him, sliding her body over his, and he relaxed for the briefest of moments. To her surprise, he abruptly kissed her back, his chapped lips fitting perfectly with hers.

_I'm only doing this for one reason_, she told herself in her head. _I am only doing this because I need a distraction. A window of opportunity. A chance to escape. It has nothing to do with his warm lips, or the way he leans into me. He's the Fire Prince… he means less than nothing to me._

His body seemed to melt, and after a moment, Kiya moved Shadow-Song away from his neck, and released his hands from beneath her knees. It was risky, but she needed to prove her plan was working. She had weaved the trap, and had slipped it gently around his neck. Now, she had to keep him busy long enough so he wouldn't realize her tightening the knot, and sealing his fate.

His hands immediately went to her thighs, sliding upwards until they gripped her hips. His hands were hot enough to scald her flesh right through her thin clothes, but she welcomed the heat. She pressed herself against him, fighting the involuntary shiver that raced up her back when he slid his tongue across her bottom lip. _Come on_, she thought. _You're a dominant male. Surely you can't bear this submission. Do it. I need you to do it._

As if he had read her mind, she felt his legs tangle around hers as he suddenly flipped their positions so he was above her. She buried the mad glee deep inside of her, anxious to keep her plan in motion. Zuko's hands were around her wrists, and he brought them up above her head, trapping her against the floor of the brig. She was at his mercy now. His eyes were bright with lust, and the adrenaline from the fight was still fresh within both of them. She watched as he hesitated above her mouth, inhaling a shaky breath. He was struggling to keep control of himself, she could see that. It was almost flattering. She couldn't help the satisfied smirk on her face as he captured her lips, kissing her hard enough to bruise.

She knew she had caught him. He was wound up in her passionate trap, and there was only one thing left to do. Kiya gathered her remaining strength and swiftly kicked upward with both of her legs. It wasn't as forceful without her boots on, but it was enough. Her feet slammed into his stomach, and sent him flying over her head. She felt his hands release her wrists, and she rolled over and up into a crouch. Not looking back, she ran unsteadily for the door.

Killing him was no longer as important to her as escaping was.

Despite the dizziness threatening to overwhelm her, she made it to the door. Wrenching it open, she emitted a shriek when a wall of fire blocked her exit on the other side, filling the corridor beyond. She spun around. Zuko was back on his feet, his fiery hands aimed at the door behind her. Fury made his amber eyes glow with a thousand flames.

As he met her gaze, he spat, "You should've killed me when you had the chance!"

He shot a fireball, and it slammed against the wall, dangerously close to her face. She flinched as the fire moved past her, the close heat searing her skin. Beads of sweat bloomed on her forehead, as he shot another at the wall beside her. He clearly didn't want to hurt her, but he was livid, and wanted to scare her. She didn't blame him. She deserved his rage.

Just like he deserved hers. With a cry, Kiya spun Shadow-Song in her hand and threw it at him. He knocked it away from him with a string of fire, and she watched as the dagger's blade glowed red-hot, falling to the floor.

"You have no way out." His entire body was shaking with wrath, and if his eyes could've killed, Kiya would've been a charred corpse, smoking at his feet . "You may as well give up."

Even as her vision swam, and her knees buckled, Kiya shook her head. "No… I won't…" She fell to her knees, as the exhaustion and starvation finally won. Her limbs were heavy, and she was shaking from the effort to stay conscious.

Prince Zuko strode across the room, grabbing her by her thin shirt, and dragging her back to the cell. He threw her inside, slamming the door shut. It clanged loudly, echoing inside of Kiya's mind; a reminder of her second failure. Was there nothing she could accomplish anymore? Where were these terrible emotions coming from? They did nothing but hinder her ability to do what she had been trained to do her entire life. She could barely think past her body's desire to shut down, but she knew deep within her that she was no longer the assassin she had been. When she had failed-for the very first time in her life-it had taken something from her, and she would be changed forever. A small part of her wished she was the same cold, unfeeling assassin again. The other part of her didn't know what she wanted, and was muddled beyond compare.

Zuko paused where he stood at the front of the cell, his fingers curling around the bars so hard that his knuckles turned a dramatic white. He said nothing. He just continued to stare, his chest heaving from their exertions. She could still feel his warm lips on hers, like they had never broken apart. He had tasted like sweet tea.

"You said," She managed to choke out through her haze, "that if I double-crossed you, you'd kill me. Will... will you keep that promise?" Her body was refusing to cooperate, and all she could do was stay there on the floor of her cell, and watch his face through fatigued eyes.

He didn't answer, and she began to laugh suddenly. Strangled yelps of manic elation erupted from her throat, and she couldn't help it as she rolled over and clutched at her shaking abdomen. He didn't need to answer her. She already knew. He could not kill her, as much as she could not kill him. It was both amusing and pathetic to her that the fearsome prince of the Fire Nation, and the most successful Black Viper assassin were unable to deal a killing blow to the other. She felt like her entire world had shifted and gone awry, and now all she knew was that there was something very wrong with the two of them.

His eyes burned with her betrayal, his mouth contorting as the sound of her twisted, frenetic laughter faded. The bars beneath his hands heated to a vivid red. He finally spoke: "Consider our arrangement terminated."

The sound of his retreating footsteps was the last she heard before she let finally fade into exhausted unconsciousness.

* * *

**Thanks to all of those who take the time to read :) I could use some feedback, though! Let me know what I'm doing right-or what I'm not doing right. It's up to you!**


	5. The Flame of Error

_"Then-in my childhood, in the dawn  
Of a most stormy life-was drawn  
From ev'ry depth of good and ill  
The mystery which binds me still"  
-Alone, by Edgar Allan Poe_

Irada rose with the sun, as did most of the Fire Nation. It was a symbol of their infinite power, and it called to them when its rosy fingers began pulling at the edges of the eastern sky. It was more than a guiding light, and more than a hot ball of gas: it was the root of all life, as was the power of Firebending.

She loosed her long, garnet hair from its tie, letting it flow down her back as she crossed her room and went to the window there. The sky was a brilliant orange, more magnificent than anything she'd ever seen. She cradled a small flame in her hand, smiling, because she could.

Ever since she could remember, she had known she was a Firebender. Her earliest memory was lighting candles with her fingers as a young girl, and then snuffing them out before anyone could rebuke her. She didn't really remember anything before the age of five, but she didn't really care. She knew just about everything she needed to know: she was the adopted daughter of a Fire Nation noble and his wife, who were unsuccessful at having children. And she was a Firebender, and a powerful one at that. Not as powerful as Azula, however. Irada had yet to master lightning the way that her prickly friend had.

Turning away, she went to her wardrobe and dressed quickly in her usual red pants and black shirt. If she was late, Princess Azula would be angry, and that was one thing she did not need to deal with. She pulled her hair up into its usual simple bun, leaving her bangs around her face. Finishing her makeup, she rushed out of her room, and ran immediately into her two friends: Ty Lee and Mai. Well… one of her friends.

"Oh!" Ty Lee gasped in surprise, before giggling. "Irada, you scared me! Did you just wake up?" The flexible girl tossed her chestnut braid over one shoulder.

Irada nodded, flicking a glance over at Mai. The girl was glaring at her, as usual. When Azula was around, they mostly kept things civil. But when she wasn't there to whip them all into shape, Irada and Mai had to face the truth: they hated one another. Irada didn't really know the reason anymore; she only knew that it had been a long-standing rivalry they'd shared since the two of them were young.

"Hi, Mai," Irada said, narrowing her green eyes at the sullen girl.

Mai turned and stalked off without saying a single word.

Ty Lee just shook her head. "Don't worry about her! It's not you this time, I promise. Well," She cocked her head to the side, an absent smile on her face. "It _is_ you, but it's also her parents. She didn't want to come back here to visit, probably because she doesn't like you and she gets tired of Azula bossing us around." Her friend dropped suddenly into a handstand. "I wanted to come back, though! I'm glad we're staying here, even if it's only for a few days!"

"Why did you come back?" Irada asked, the two of them walking down the corridor. It was empty, which truthfully didn't surprise her. The Fire Nation had seemed empty for a long time, seeing as most of its men and women were out fighting the war. That was why her family had been allowed to stay in such rich apartments in the very palace itself, so she couldn't complain that much.

Ty Lee's upside down face grinned widely. "Azula said you had come home from being in one of those stupid colonies with your parents, and she said that she wanted to have a 'get-together'." Her face suddenly crinkled into a delicate frown. "Did you know that Azula even knew what the words 'get-together' meant?"

Irada laughed. She had missed her silly circus friend. Together, the two of them chatted on their way to Azula's gargantuan chambers at the other end of the palace. When they arrived, the Fire Princess was outside the doors, talking quietly with Mai. The two of them stopped and stared at the newest arrivals.

All of her life, Irada had known the Fire Princess, as well as her older brother. She was an intimidating foe, as they had sparred against one another more than once, but more than that, she didn't seem to operate the way that her friends did. While Ty Lee was concerned with her looks and boys, and while Mai was busy bemoaning her boring life, Azula was scheming and plotting, spending a majority of the days sitting in the Firelord's war councils, and even offering input when she was allowed to speak. She just didn't seem to think like a normal girl. She was clearly Firelord Ozai's daughter; she had inherited his ambitious mind and his thirst for power. Irada knew that she couldn't really trust Azula, but she had no other choice than to ally herself with the fearsome princess.

"Well, it just figures you two would show up late," Azula sneered coolly. Irada noticed then that the princess had a scroll clutched tightly in her fingers. "Especially on the day when I have such important news."

"What news?" Ty Lee asked, standing upright on her feet once more.

"Step inside," Azula purred, gesturing to the open doors. "It's a private matter, one that Irada should find quite interesting." Her gold eyes flashed at her friend, and the four of them quickly ducked inside.

Irada stared at the princess, narrowing her eyes. What could she possibly mean? She knew it had something to do with the scroll. Was it a letter from her father? Did he already want her and her mother back at the colony? Because if he did, she had a thing or two to say about that.

"Ty Lee," Azula said, fixing her steely gaze on the acrobat. "How well would you say you know Irada?"

Ty Lee shrugged nonchalantly. "Really well! She went to the Royal Fire Academy For Girls with us, and I've known her for almost ten years."

"And you, Mai? How well would you say _you_ know our dear friend?" There was something mocking in Azula's tone, but Irada chose not to mention it. Instead, she turned her attention to Mai.

The girl shrugged. "Well enough."

Azula smiled, tapping one of her long fingers against her cherry-red lips. "Oh, that's right. She _did_ steal your boyfriend, didn't she?"

"That's not true!" Irada said, scowling. "Zuko and I were together first!"

Mai's dark eyes flashed. "You broke up!"

Irada rolled her eyes. "Oh, please! We were dating for a long time, and then we went through a rough patch where we weren't sure if we wanted to be together. We decided to take a break, and he got with _you_." She folded her arms over her chest, straightening up with a satisfied smile. "Fortunately for me, he decided you weren't worth it, and he dumped you to get back with me."

Mai's hands twitched, and Irada realized just how far she'd gone. Ty Lee seemed to notice the tension too, because she stepped between the two of them. It wasn't to stop Mai from attacking; it was to tackle Irada out of the way when Mai snapped, which was highly possible considering the girl's red face. There was nothing that would stop Mai when she got riled, except maybe…

"That's enough, girls," Azula said shortly, her lips quirking into a mirthless half-smile. "So we all think we know Irada quite well, yes?"

Ty Lee nodded, while Mai shrugged, looking away.

"Well, we've all thought _wrong_." Azula tapped the end of the scroll against one of her palms, her smile blossoming cruelly. Mai turned around, suddenly interested, and Ty Lee's face fell the tiniest fraction.

"What do you mean?" Irada asked, her heart rate quickening. "What are you talking about?"

"Is there anything you care to tell us? Anything you've left out about yourself for all of these years?"

"No! I've been honest with you three about everything!" Irada glared at the scroll. "What is that? What does it say?"

Azula laughed. "You really don't know, then? Fine." She unrolled the scroll, grinning wickedly as she did. "It's a letter from my dear brother. It seems that even in exile, all Zuzu can think of is _you_."

Irada's heart beat painfully fast, skipping quickly. She hadn't seen Zuko in almost three years, and the two of them hadn't bothered to keep in touch very much, since they were always moving around. Besides, her mother had already let Irada know her thoughts about "carrying on with an exiled prince". She didn't care what her mother said; Zuko was not only her love interest but also a good friend. "It's from Zuko?"

"Why, yes! And it seems…" Azula's eyes scanned down the parchment. She made a face. "Oh, dear."

Anger made Irada's green eyes flash. Azula had already read the letter, and now she was merely playing with her. "What is it?"

"Zuzu says that he's found someone of great importance to you… your missing piece, he calls it. Does that mean anything to you?"

Irada remembered that day, when she had told him how she felt. She had felt that way all throughout the years, even after she left the Fire Palace, and even after she returned home again. She assumed it was a longing for her parents-to know who they truly were. But something about Azula's tone made her think it was something else.

She shrugged, not wanting to give away everything that she had told Zuko. Those were private days, kept secret in her memories. "What else does it say?"

Azula's eyes found Irada's as she peered over the scroll. "He goes on to say that he's found… your twin sister."

Time stopped and froze in that moment, and Irada felt herself float away into the air, to watch the situation unfold beneath her. She could see herself from her spirit's vantage point; it was deathly pale, and her eyes were wide with an indescribable shock. She was dreaming, she had to be. This wasn't real. She was an only child, she always had been… hadn't she? She felt herself pulled back to her body by the sound of Azula's shrieking laughter. Azula rarely laughed, unless it was something truly malicious to entertain her.

"Oh, this is _rich_!" She wiped a tear away from one eye, her cheeks pink. "It's either a desperate, sad attempt in the hopes of encouraging you to seek him out, or it's true and he's out gallivanting with your twin sister!" Azula erupted into peals of high-pitched laughter again, grabbing at her sides. "Imagine! He can't have you, so he gets the next best thing!"

Mai chuckled, as Irada knew she would. Of course _she_ thought Irada deserved whatever misfortune happened to her. Her grudge would remain as long as her love for Zuko would, so she knew it would take years before the two of them could act kindly towards one another.

Ty Lee frowned. "That isn't very nice, Azula. Did you know about your sister, Ira? Did you know you had a twin?"

Irada shook her head. When she thought about it, however, it all seemed to make sense. The empty hole inside of her, despite the love and affection her adopted parents heaped upon her. The strange dreams she often had, of a burning village and a crying baby. She had always assumed she was the baby in the dream, since she was sure her birth parents had died. But now that she thought about it, she knew: it had come from another baby, one that was beside her.

Still, she shook her head. "I don't believe it. I won't."

"But, Irada," Azula said, straightening up. She brushed some wayward strands of her dark hair off of her face. "The irrefutable proof is right here!" She waved the scroll around.

"No," Irada said firmly, shaking her head even more fervently. "I refuse to even _consider _it until I see her for myself."

Azula's face was suddenly solemn, back to its usual cold mask, and Irada knew that she had been playing into her friend's hands the entire time. "Excellent. I thought you would say that. I suppose then that it is also my turn to be honest with you. My father, our wise Fire Lord, has given me a mission. _I _am to take over for my dear brother, and find the Avatar myself."

Mai's lips briefly twitched upward in the faintest hint of a smile. "Congratulations."

Ty Lee gaped in surprise. "You're being sent after the Avatar?"

Azula nodded. "It seems my father has grown weary of waiting for my brother to succeed. I admit, he is not the only one. Now, I know you two are only visiting," She turned to look at Mai and Ty Lee. "So I'm not going to ask for your help. However…" Her gaze slid back to Irada. "Since our friend here has such a fierce desire to suddenly see my brother again and ensure that his words are true, I think I'm going to ask _her_ to come with me."

Irada blinked. "You want _me_ to come with _you_ to find the Avatar?"

"Am I speaking another language, Ira? _Yes_. We can seek out Zuko to see if he was telling the truth about your unexpected sibling, and we can also plug him for information about the Avatar's whereabouts. Surely he knows _something_ after being away for years." She glared. "Are you with me, or not?"

"What about my parents?"

"I'm sure my father has since notified them of your important duty to the Fire Nation. Don't you want to serve your Fire Lord in his time of need?"

Irada took a deep breath, calming the rise of unpleasant emotions that Azula was enticing out of her. She knew what would happen if she were to refuse. "Of course I do. But how did you know I'd agree to come with you? How did Fire Lord Ozai already tell my parents?"

Azula smiled knowingly. "Because, Irada, _everyone_ says yes to me. Everyone with a brain, anyways. Now, we're wasting valuable daylight. Return back to your apartments and collect your things. We're leaving this afternoon."

Irada couldn't decide which was worse-knowing she might have a twin out there with Prince Zuko, or being forced to travel with Azula to find the Avatar. Either way, she was unhappy as she quickly abandoned her friends and made her way back to her family's apartments in the palace.

Her mother was waiting for her when she arrived. She immediately engulfed her in a fierce hug, tears sparkling in her brown eyes. "Oh, Irada, I am so proud of you! Getting chosen for such an important mission is a high honor. Surely-"

Irada quickly pulled away, frowning at her mother. "You think I _want_ to go?"

Her mother was only confused. "Don't you wish to serve our Nation?"

Why did everyone keep asking that? _Of course_ she did, but weren't there other ways to do it? "Yes, I do, but-" She paused, narrowing her eyes. "Tell me about when you and Father found me."

Her mother laughed, stepping away from her and going towards the wardrobe. She began pulling out clothes and folding them neatly, packing them into bags. "You don't really want to hear that story again, do you? We have so much to do, Ira. You're leaving this afternoon, and Princess Azula said-"

"I don't _care_ what Azula said!" Irada shouted, fire suddenly igniting the ends of her fingers. She had heard enough of Azula for one day. "Just tell me the story."

Her mother paused in her vigorous folding, a shirt dropping from her hands. "As you wish. It wasn't your father and I that found you, exactly. Soldiers found you, after they finished conquering a small Earth Kingdom village. You were wrapped in swaddling that was made from a torn Fire Nation flag. They said you had been stolen, probably by the Earth Kingdom, and so they brought you back. They were uncertain of what to do with you, since you clearly had no parents. Your father and I volunteered to take you, as we had been trying to conceive and had been unsuccessful." She shrugged, patting the shirt gently. "That's all. Why do you want to know so badly?"

Irada's head was spinning. She wasn't from the Earth Kingdom, that much she knew, seeing as she was a fire-bender. Was it possible that there _had_ been two stolen babes in that village? Had the soldiers simply overlooked the other?

"Was there-" Irada's voice cracked, and she clenched her fists. "Was there any mention of any other children there?"

Her mother frowned. "Why?"

"Mother, please, just answer me."

Her mother nodded. "I'm certain there were others, Ira. But they were all of the Earth Kingdom! You were the only Fire Nation child there."

"Are you certain?"

"Why? Do you think-" Her mother suddenly laughed. "Do you think that you have a sibling? Is that was this is about?" She dropped the clothes on Irada's unmade bed and crossed the room. She pulled Irada into another hug, kissing her on the top of her head. "My daughter, I am sorry your Father and I could not give you a sibling, but I assure you, you were alone in that village. You were a blessing sent to us by the Spirits themselves, and I think if it was meant to be, there would've been another child. But there was not." She tucked Irada's bangs away from her face, smiling lovingly at her. "There was only my beautiful, sweet Irada."

She wasn't feeling beautiful, and she certainly wasn't feeling sweet. Her sister-if she had a sister-could've been mistaken for an Earth Kingdom child. She could've been taken, when she should've been given to the Fire Nation, where she belonged. Before, Irada hadn't wanted to believe it was true. She had wanted to remain the only child she had always thought she was. But now, there was a quaking feeling inside of her, like she was standing on the edge of a high precipice and looking down. She wanted to find her twin, if only to prove that her mother and her silly Spirits were wrong.

She tore away from her mother, and went to her bed, to finish packing. Her thoughts were in a frenzy, and she felt more confused than she had in her entire life. As she packed away all of her belongings, preparing to leave the only home she had ever known, she knew it was the right decision. She knew that as much as she didn't want to, she had to go with Azula.

She didn't say another word to her mother, certain that if she had, if would've been a lie.

* * *

Kiya woke to the smell of sandalwood incense and the one thing her body was longing for-food. Her eyes opened slowly, slivers of orange torchlight finding their way inside. She ached all over, in all of the familiar places, and her stomach felt like a screaming vortex. Groaning, she clutched at it, if only to stop it from growling so loudly. She was starving.

There was a small cough from her right, outside of her cell. "I almost thought that the guards weren't feeding you," The vaguely familiar voice rumbled. She could hear the clatter of chopsticks against the side of a bowl. "But I spoke with them, and they said you refused to eat."

Kiya slowly sat up, biting her lip so she wouldn't cry out. Her muscles were viciously repaying her for her actions the previous night, and there was a stinging burn on one of her hands. The skin was an angry, enflamed red and it hurt just to look at it.

"I thought perhaps you didn't like the food, but that didn't seem as likely as the idea that you don't trust the Fire Nation."

Still fuzzy from sleep, she sought the source of the mysterious voice. To her surprise, she discovered General Iroh-the uncle of Prince Zuko and brother to the Fire Lord himself-seated just outside of her cell. He had set up a small table there, and had stocked it with steaming plates of food and a warm teapot. There was even a small vase of flowers and two sticks of incense. Kiya stared at him, her mouth open.

He chuckled. "Nobody likes to eat alone, especially me! So I thought I would give you some company. Is that okay with you?"

She nodded mutely, and he began filling a bowl for her. One of the guards opened up the cell, and let Iroh hand her the bowl and a cup of tea, before closing it again. Kiya immediately fell upon the food, ravenous. She couldn't eat fast enough, and all too quickly, she was finished. She looked up at Iroh, who wore a bemused expression on his face.

"See? Nothing wrong with it. Don't you feel better?"

She nodded, setting her chopsticks down and picking up her tea. Full, for the moment, she calmly sipped at the cup and listened as the retired General began to speak.

He talked about nothing in particular. He told her stories of his childhood, and funny anecdotes from his days as the crown prince, and she found herself smiling at one point. She didn't fail to notice how he told her nothing of his days in the war, and she was grateful for that particular omission. In turn, she also told him some of her fondest memories-like the time she and Onu had filled one of the secret tunnels of the Black Vipers with water, in the hopes of tricking an unsuspecting assassin into falling in and getting wet. Unfortunately, the person who had chosen that tunnel was Gyong. Neither of them had been able to look each other in the eye for weeks after that.

Kiya enjoyed the presence of the older man-he was funny and wise, and he respected her. He let her have more food and tea, before he sat back and watched her in her cell.

"May I ask your name?"

Slowly, she drank down the last of her ginger tea. "My name is Kiya."

He smiled. "That is a lovely name! Kiya, I have something else for you." Reaching around behind him, he pulled out a small bundle. "These are for you. They belong to my niece, but I think they will fit you." He handed the clothes through the bars. "Needless to say, I think you need them more than she."

Kiya looked down, raising her eyebrows. He was right. Her clothes were singed in places, blackening and threadbare from her encounter with Zuko the previous night. There was a long rip in her pants that exposed her leg all the way up to her thigh.

She blushed, before nodding. "Thank you. Would you mind-?"

"Not at all!" Graciously, he turned his back on her, commanding the guards to do so as well.

As quickly as she could, she stripped out of the torn pants and burnt shirt, and threw on the other clothes. The first article was a thin under dress, made of silky white material. The second was a crimson dress that fell to the floor with long, black sleeves. There was also a gold belt, and she quickly secured it around her waist. She knew they were Fire Nation clothes-_Princess Azula's_ clothes-but they were comfortable, warm, and not torn in any way. So she took them.

"Thank you very much," She said, sitting back down. He swiveled once more to face her, as did the guards. Reaching up with her hands, she quickly twisted her long, tangled red hair into a knot at the nape of her neck. "Now, I have a question."

"Ask away."

She leaned forward, her hands on her knees. "Why did you come here?"

Iroh smiled. "That's easy. To give you food, and better clothes."

"Why? Are you hoping I'll trade you valuable information for these comforts? Because if that's what you want, trust me, you can have it all back." She glared. "Even the food."

"No, no, no," Iroh said hastily, waving his hands. "I came here only to offer you the hospitality that my nephew _should_ have offered in the first place. I know you are an assassin who was sent to kill him, but you are also a very young girl. No older than he is, yes?"

Kiya nodded wordlessly, clamping her lips shut tight. Her throat was hurting and her eyes were starting to burn, and that could only mean one thing. She was about to cry. She didn't cry often, but when she did, it came pouring out like a waterfall. It wasn't really that she was sad, or anything. Mostly she was just confused. The real reason she wanted to cry, however, was because how kind Iroh was being. He was offering her a friend in a dark time, and it was something that she didn't deserve in the slightest. He wasn't passing any judgment on her, and was willing to sacrifice his own time to make her feel more comfortable-even after she had knocked him out and almost killed his nephew. It proved to her that there was still good in the world, even if she was unworthy of its display.

"Exactly. A young, pretty girl like you should be at home with her family, not trapped in a cell. Do you have family that you can go home to?"

Almost. Her will wavered for a fraction of a second, as she felt tears brimming over her lashes. Angrily, she wiped them away, taking a deep, shaky breath. _Emotions are a weakness, and you cannot afford to be weak, even in the most dire of situations_. Gyong's voice in her head helped her regain her composure.

"No. My only family are the Vipers."

"I'm very sorry. It is sad to be without family." He sighed. "You may not like him, and you may blame him for the world's despair, but Zuko is _my_ family. I care for him as if he were my own son, and although you may think differently, I know that he is not a bad person."

Kiya scoffed. "What kind of person is he, then?"

"A confused one. He does not yet know his true path. However, I think you could help him find it."

"Me?" She nearly laughed. "We almost killed each other last night! We can't help each other do anything except die."

Iroh chuckled. "He said almost the exact same thing when I talked to him this morning."

"You… talked to him? About me?" Kiya stared, unsure of what to say.

"Oh, yes," Iroh nodded. "He was very angry that you tried to escape. However, I think I managed to convince him to ease up. He really does need your help, you know."

"With finding the Avatar?"

"Among other things." Iroh wearily got to his feet, his joints creaking. He cleared up his small picnic, tucking the basket under one arm and the small table beneath the other. "I will tell you what I told him: one little ant cannot move a mountain. Two, on the other hand, can try."

Kiya rose back to her feet, grabbing the bars. "Wait," She called after him. "What does that mean? Are you saying I should help him find the Avatar?"

"You should do what you feel is right!" Iroh yelled over his shoulder, before disappearing.

Kiya slumped back against her cell. Cryptic old man! His words did nothing to help her predicament, nothing whatsoever! She punched one of the metal bars blindly, and the sharp pain that followed quickly erased any anger she felt. She groaned, cradling her hand in her lap. She was stupid. General Iroh was stupid. Her entire situation-imprisoned in the bottom of a Fire Nation vessel-was _stupid_.

_I want to go home._

The thought knocked the breath out of her. She was homesick for the forest that hid the many secret entrances to the underground hideout of the Vipers. She missed sitting in the trees and watching the sun go down with Onu, as they plucked leaves and tossed them to the grassy ground. She missed nights spent talking and laughing, as the two of them fought off sleep for just one more hour. She missed Gyong's approving smiles, and the way people stepped out of the way when they saw her coming. She missed her home. Maybe that was it. _Patience_, Gyong had always told her, chiding her for fidgeting. _Patience is the key to unlocking what you wish to achieve._ She could help Zuko, biding her time as the two of them went searching for the Avatar. She could earn his trust little by little, and over time, she could be released. She could find the soldiers who had killed her parents, and she could kill Zuko.

"Fine!" Kiya yelled. "I'll help Prince Zuko find the Avatar! This time, I swear it!"

"I'm glad to hear that."

Kiya jumped to her feet, as Prince Zuko entered the room, clad in his full armor. The cut on his neck was barely a pink line, but evidence that the night before had indeed happened. He still looked angry, as he slowly walked into the room, like he wanted to fry her right there with his bending. But he didn't. Instead, he focused his gaze on the floor. The floor where they had been the previous night, kissing. She ignored the blush that darkened her cheeks.

"I've decided to reinstate our deal," He muttered to the floor, unable to move his eyes away. "But I won't make the mistake of trusting you again, I promise."

Kiya nodded. "And this time, I won't try and escape. Or kill you."

His eyes finally met hers. "And how do I know?"

"You don't. You just said yourself that you wouldn't trust me again." She sighed, leaning against the bars. "But I'm tired of being here. I…"

"What?"

The whispered words almost stuck in her throat. "I really want to go home." As she spoke the words out loud, she knew they were true. She was tired of sitting in a cell, and she was tired of waking in a black room. She was tired of seeing death and destruction everywhere she went. _If and when I get out of here,_ she told herself. _I'm going to get out. I'll go to Gyong and tell him that I'm finished. I just…_ The faces of her numerous victims flashed across her mind, each of them blurring into one another, a single cry of pain and sadness. She choked down her remorse. _I just can't do it anymore._

Zuko nodded. "That's good enough for me." He turned on his heel and swept out of the room.

She watched him go with a heart so heavy, it would sink like a stone.

* * *

**This chapter basically sucks, and I'm sorry for that. I kind of rushed it, so you would have something to read while I'm busy with my final exams this week. The next one is a two-parter, though, and hopefully better than this. **

**Also: I know Ozai doesn't technically tell Azula to go after the Avatar until the end of the first season, but I'm pushing that up for the sake of my story. Okay? Okay. **


	6. Where The Lines Overlap

_"Fire destroys that which feeds it." -Simone Weil_

**Day 8**

"What do you mean, you're letting me out?" Kiya asked, glancing at the guards in front of her, her eyes suspicious. "You mean to be tortured for more information?"

The foremost guard shook his head. "No. Prince Zuko has commanded your release, and so we obey." He reached for her hand, blocking the way out of the cell. There was no way for her to run, no way for her to escape. She either had to go with him, or stay.

He sighed when he noticed her hesitance. "Listen, it would make my job a lot easier if you would just please cooperate."

Kiya sighed. "Fine. As long as you tell me where you're taking me."

He clamped one gloved hand around her upper arm, gently guiding her out of the cell. Her legs were stiff and her feet tingled from being numb for so long, but she managed to walk without relying on him too much. The second guard took his position at her left, also holding onto her upper arm. They were escorting her to wherever she was headed, and although she was sure she could get away from them (if she really wanted to), she knew she had to be patient.

The word _patience_ seemed to consume her, filling her constantly. She had to wait it out, no matter how hard things got. She had to stick with it, because in the end, the results would pay off. All of her hard work would be worth the endless days spent masquerading as someone willing to help Zuko.

"Prince Zuko has set aside your own rooms on the ship," The first guard said, as the three of them left the brig, ascending up to the sailors' quarters. "I guess it's not very easy to hunt the Avatar when you're all the way down there, so he evicted one of the crew members to make room for you."

"He kicked someone out for me?" The notion seemed ridiculous, especially after what she had done to him just two days prior.

They found the prince in the very corridor where she was to take up residence, towering over the shaking crew member in question. Zuko's face was distorted with spite as he shouted at the older man. "I don't care what you're going to do! You can sleep down in the brig if you want-hell, I don't even care if you stay on this ship-but this room belongs to someone else now. You're just going to have to make do somewhere else. "

"Prince Zuko," The first guard said, dipping his head respectfully. "The prisoner."

"I have a name, you know," She said scathingly, tugging her arms out of the grips of the guards. Unsurely, they let go.

"Of course," Zuko said smoothly, stepping around the crew man. "_Kiya_, right?" He smirked at the surprised look on her face. "You should know-relatives talk. Anyway, you may go into your new quarters now. They will be yours as long as you continue to help me. Got it?"

Kiya sniffed imperiously, turning her nose up at him. "I don't want them."

She didn't have to see his face to know his anger. "What?"

"I don't want them. You shouldn't put someone out for me; it's a stupid idea." She peered around him, looking kindly to the sniffling man. "You can have them back. Really. You deserve them more than I."

"Oh, thank you, miss! Thank you!"

"Silence!" Zuko yelled; the man yelped and clamped his lips shut, focusing his eyes on the ground once more. The prince leaned in to Kiya, narrowing his eyes. "What do you think you're doing?"

She shrugged. "I'll simply room somewhere else. It's unnecessary to put this poor man out of a room for me."

"There are no other rooms!" Zuko shouted, throwing his arms up in the air. "And how dare you overstep my authority! I'm the one in charge here, not you!"

"Fine!" Kiya yelled back. "Then tell this man he may have his rooms back, and start thinking more sensibly!"

Zuko's face purpled with rage, and the two guards behind Kiya shifted uncomfortably on their feet. She watched, secretly pleased, as the prince closed his eyes and took several deep breaths. She didn't fail to notice the way his fingertips were glowing orange, or the way that his eyes had darkened to an almost-red. She was pushing him, perhaps too much, but she had to see just where he drew the line. She had to know his weaknesses.

Finally, he spoke. "Fine. But if I do give him back his rooms, then where will _you_ sleep?"

Kiya shrugged. "I'll sleep anywhere. It doesn't matter to me." She narrowed her eyes, folding her arms across her chest. "Besides, you needn't worry. I don't expect that I'll be here that long anyway."

With a deep breath resembling a sigh, Zuko spun back around. "You there! Quit sniveling. I've decided that you may have your rooms back. Now, get back to work and get out of my sight before I change my mind."

Kiya watched the man scramble away, muttering teary thanks and prayers as he disappeared. She felt something weird-some smooth feeling in her chest, something warm and golden. She could only assume that was known as a good deed. She was unaccustomed to doing them, but she knew if she really was going to try and seek redemption for all of her crimes against humanity, this was the place to start.

"So where am I sleeping, then?" Kiya asked, as Zuko began walking away, past her and the guards. She followed quickly, walking fast to keep up with his longer strides.

"I thought you said it didn't matter."

"Well, I'd still like to _know_."

With me." He didn't turn around as he said it, he just kept walking.

She blanched, and stopped short. "_Excuse me_?"

One of the guards choked, coughing and sputtering. The other one stifled a laugh, and thumped on his friend's back as he bent double. Zuko turned slightly and made a face. "Don't you two have somewhere to be? You may leave her with me. Now, go!" The two guards looked much too relieved as they scurried off, and he raised his good eyebrow at her. "What?"

"Sleeping with _you_?"

Zuko rolled his eyes. "In the same _room_. I'll fetch you another sleeping pad, and you can sleep on the other end of my quarters. It's a convenient solution where I can keep an eye on you. Sensible enough for you?"

"But I hardly think that's-you know, I need my-"

"My uncle has a partition that we can put in there, through the middle of the room, if you'd like." He exhaled heavily through his nose. "Are you familiar with the saying 'keep your friends close, but your enemies closer'?"

"Of course."

"Well that's what I'm doing. So get used to it, because you're stuck here." That said, he pivoted on one heel and kept on down the hallway, turning the corner and vanishing from sight.

Kiya remained in the corridor, staring dumbly. She had thought her plans were simple. Pretend to help Zuko find the Avatar, gain his trust, and then kill him at the last moment and escape. Now, she was to sleep in the same room with him? Undress in the same room with him? The thought of it made her skin crawl, but she wasn't sure if it was with disgust or something else. Her heart had quickened in an unnatural way when he had said she would be sleeping with him, and she didn't like it. She didn't like the unbidden feelings that were creeping up inside of her. Suddenly, everything became much more complicated than she had originally surmised.

_Feelings are a weakness; push them out. You must be patient; wait it out._ The two ideas seemed to conflict with one another, and already Kiya could feel a headache coming on. Sighing, she said the only thing that could even remotely sum up her feelings:

"Damn."

* * *

**Day 14**

_BANG!_ The door to the bridge crashed open, slamming against the opposite wall. Kiya stormed inside, her eyes blazing. Several of the crew in the room took frightened steps back, as they had learned to do when she was in one of her daily rages.

"Zuko!"

"That's _Prince_ Zuko," He said, straightening up. He rolled his neck, rubbing at the knot in one of his muscles. "What do you want, Viper?"

She narrowed her eyes at him dangerously. "You know my name; maybe you should use it once in a while!"

He felt himself grin on the inside. He loved calling her Viper, if only to make her angry. She was so different from the girl he had seen two weeks ago. Before, she had refused to even speak, or exhibit emotions of any kind except apathy and disdain. Now, however, she was angry at him-fiery, with her scarlet hair falling out of her bun in wisps around her face. And he liked it. Spirits, how he liked making her angry. He wondered briefly if that was normal, before he decided that he didn't care. He was as far from normal as was possible.

He nodded at her. "Kiya. What do you want?"

"What I _want_," She said vehemently, "is for you to get rid of the two hog-monkeys that you have constantly trailing me!"

As soon as the words left her mouth, two guards-the two guards who had escorted her out of the brig less than a week beforehand-appeared behind her, out of breath and red in the face. Zuko almost smiled again. In some ways, she still reminded him of Irada, but with each passing day, he was coming to realize just how different they were.

Irada was soft and smooth, like a panda-lily. She was poised and in control of her emotions. She was calm, sweet, and acted how the daughter of a Fire Nation noble was supposed to act. She was demure and serene, and always thought about what she wanted to say before she spoke. This girl-Kiya-was so much different. Where Irada was a delicate panda-lily, Kiya was an explosive fire-lily. She was bold and loud, always speaking her mind regardless of the consequences. When she was angry, her entire body reflected that: her hands clenched, her eyes blazed, and her hair whipped around her face like a halo of flames. If she wasn't so vengeful towards them, Zuko would've thought she'd make a good member of the Fire Nation. Though alike in breed, the two flowers were enormously different from one another-just like the girls. Each of them, however, were beautiful in their own way. Each of them would make one hell of a team if they managed to join forces.

Zuko turned his attention away from the girl, and back to the map on the table. "That's too bad," He said, the tone of his voice suggesting he had better things to do than dwell on her trivial issues. "I don't trust you, so you get guards on you full time. It's to keep you out of trouble."

"Oh, _right_," She replied sardonically, her voice dripping with disdain. "Because there's _so_ much trouble to get into on a Fire Nation ship." She shook her head. "What am I supposed to do with these two constantly hovering?"

"You could help me with what you agreed to, you know." He angrily gestured to the map. "The Avatar is almost impossible to track. He goes off on random tangents, and I can't find a pattern or purpose."

Kiya turned towards him, her eyes sparkling with interest. "Hm…" She stepped up to the table, leaning over. "Do you mind if I-?" Without waiting for an answer, she twitched the map out of Zuko's hands, away from him.

He glared, while she tapped her chin and squinted, her eyes surveying the Avatar's path. She occasionally muttered things under her breath, and walked her fingers back and forth all over the landmasses drawn on the parchment. He watched, slightly fascinated, as she let her fingers dance through the sea while she let herself go, deep in thought. When she had something to do, she wasn't as wild or frightening. When she was preoccupied, she didn't want to kill him. At least, that he knew of.

Finally, she looked up at him. "Games!"

"What?"

"You said the Avatar is just a boy, right? Only twelve or thirteen?"

Zuko nodded, clenching his teeth. He braced himself for the comment that was sure to snake its way out of her mouth-something about his failure to apprehend a child half his height, something about how he was bested by a mere boy who was years younger than him and far less experienced.

Instead, she sat down at the table beside him, leaning over the map again. With her that close, he could smell the jasmine soap that his uncle had lent her to bathe with, and he could hear the soft sound of her breathing-the sound that had lulled him to sleep many nights. The edge of her arm brushed his, and he tried not to inhale too sharply. He remembered the night in the brig all too well, though they were both still pretending it had never happened.

She didn't seem to notice anything, as she began talking. "He's traveling places, exploring… he still has a childish mind, you see?" She pointed out all of the different locations, explaining patiently to Zuko why the Avatar's location was so arbitrary. "-and I think he's playing with the animals there. Most likely the hopping llamas." She tapped absently on an unfamiliar island.

Zuko just stared at her. "How did you figure all of this out? All you did was look at a map."

Kiya looked away, her eyes focusing on the scroll beneath her hands. "When I was a little girl, I used to have a map. I used to carry it everywhere, and I would mark all of the places I wanted to go. When I was his age, these were some of the places that I dreamed of visiting, to explore and play. I just figured that maybe he wanted to go there too." She looked up, meeting Zuko's gaze. "After all, he's just a kid."

The words echoed inside of Zuko's mind. _Just a kid_. He remembered when he had been twelve-he had strived for his father's affection like it was a burning hunger inside of him. But no, he had never been good enough. Azula had been the prize reflected in Ozai's eyes, and as much as Zuko tried, it had never worked. And then a year later, he had finally done it… or so he had thought.

He lightly brought a hand up to his face, touching the edge of his scar. Suffering doesn't pause when it sees a child and moves on, simply because there is a child in the way. Suffering torches the ground beneath the child, and razes all of its dreams, blazing on by with a dark laugh. Suffering stops for no one, be it man or child, and so it had been for Zuko. _I was just a kid,_ he thought bitterly. _And that stopped nothing. The Avatar __**will**__ be mine, and my father will see just how well suffering has taught me. _

"Zuko?"

He blinked several times, snapping out of his reverie. With a snarl, he jerked the map away from Kiya, moving over to put more distance between the two of them. "It's _Prince_ Zuko."

She stood up in a flash of movement. "If you don't want my help anymore, just say so! I will gladly leave, if you suddenly don't need me anymore."

Panic entered his mind. _No, don't go. I _do_ need you._ The thought rose up before he could squash it back down, and it surprised him. Since when did he need _anyone_?

Throwing her a sullen glance through the locks of his hair, he huffed out, "Fine. Sit back down."

She almost smiled, before frowning and taking her place at the table once more. Instead, she sat across from him, putting as much distance between them as possible. He felt a sliver of disappointment in his gut, before he settled the map back over the solid surface.

Kiya smirked at him, her lips quirking upwards in a way that suggested dangerous territory. "Tell me everything you know about the Avatar."

Willing his heart to slow down, he pointed at various places on the map-beginning at the Southern Water Tribe-and began to speak.

* * *

Day 19

Bright sunshine was streaming in through Kiya's window, casting a ray of light across her face. She woke to the sounds of birds chirping, and the cool breeze as it played across the branches of trees. The air smelled like baking bread; her mouth watered at the thought of it. She was seven years old.

And yet, she knew it was wrong. She knew it was all wrong. When she was seven, she had been introduced to Onu, and she lived beneath the ground in a palace of dripping stone and cold darkness. There had been no birds, no breeze, and certainly no bread.

Still, she rose in her dream-state. She slipped out of her bed, slipping her feet into soft slippers. She padded out of her room, and directly into the morning sun. It was a cool, clear morning on the cusp of spring. Already she could see flowers blooming along the path. Skipping lightly, she followed it, her feet tapping quietly on the carved stones. It wasn't long before the smell of smoke reached her nose. The bread, she mused. Someone left it in the oven too long. There was a laugh to her left, one that sounded familiar and yet alien. _"It's not the bread, Kiya_," A voice whispered, right into her ear. She spun, finding no one. Her heart pounded frantically, fear clogging her throat.

The smoke grew thicker as she kept on down the path. It became so thick that she could barely breathe, and she was forced to hold an arm over her mouth and nose, forced to breathe through the thick cotton of her sleeve. From far away, she could hear screaming. I don't want to go that way, she said inside of her head, willing her body to turn around. As she did, she came face to face with a burning cottage. The flames were so close that she shrieked and fell backwards, scrambling away from the blaze. There were screams coming from inside-screams that she recognized immediately.

"Rika, you have to get out! The roof is caving-grab Kiya and run! There's too many of them, there's just too many-" A strangled yelp cut off the words, and silence followed. Silence except for the sound of a baby crying, wailing for its parents.

"Don't cry!" Kiya managed to choke out past the smoke. "I'll save you! I promise!" As she got back to her feet, stepping forward towards the burning home, the ground suddenly opened up beneath her. It consumed her, and she fell, screaming, down a long chute in the earth.

She landed on a spider web, stretched tightly between the walls of the chute. She bounced when she land, silver strands sticking in her hair. "Help!" She screamed, looking up. There was no sunlight there, only darkness. She had disappeared beneath the earth. "Help!" Her voice echoed all around her, calling back to her, taunting her. She squeezed her eyes shut, biting her lip hard to keep from crying.

"I want my mommy…" She sobbed, rubbing her tiny fists over her eyes. "I want my mommy…"

"_I'm here, Kiya."_

The voice made her gasp aloud, and when she looked up, her eyes blurry with tears, she was staring straight into a mirror. She screamed in shock, darting backwards across the spider web. There in the mirror was her reflection-but it was her usual self, her sixteen-year-old self. It was her, but… not. Instead of her Black Viper uniform, she wore an outfit akin to those that the Fire Nation wore… it looked like something that a soldier would wear. Her green eyes shone cruelly down on her younger dream counterpart and her lips bowed into an evil smile.

"You're not me," Kiya said, her voice childish. "No, you're not me. I would never join the Fire Nation. _Never_."

Mirror-Kiya's smile widened, and she raised her hands in front of her, as if to ward off an attacker. Fire suddenly burst forth from her mirror-self's hands, shooting through the mirror. It set the spider web ablaze, and Kiya could feel the frail threads snap beneath her. Her screams filled the cavern as she was plunged down into a darkness that quickly turned into a giant mouth filled with sharp, bloodstained teeth. As she fell, she heard the terrible laughter of her mirror-counterpart following her down, echoing from the dripping mouth that swallowed her whole.

She was rudely shaken awake not a moment later, and she gasped as she sat up. Used to the nightmares, she expected to see big baby blue eyes staring back at her. She expected Onu to grab her hand, and hold her close while shook violently, still haunted by the images her sleeping mind had conjured. The loss of him shot through her, and blossomed into an ache below her heart.

Instead of blue eyes, she saw golden orbs, one ringed in red. Zuko leaned away from her, frowning. "You were muttering in your sleep."

It took Kiya a long moment to realize where she was. She rubbed her sleep-filled eyes, looking around the room. Prince Zuko's quarters. She was on a sleeping pad on the floor, her blankets tangled around her legs. He was crouched on the floor beside her. Moonlight from the open window there spilled across half of his body, bathing him in silver. His hair was tangled from sleep, and he looked half-annoyed with her.

Good. Adrenaline from her nightmare was still pulsing through her, and she was itching for a fight, if only to forget the horror of what she'd seen behind her closed eyes. She narrowed her eyes at him. "You're not supposed to be on my side of the room." She twitched one of her blankets away from him, pulling it back onto the pad. "What do you want?"

He stared, as if shocked that she could be so disrespectful. "_You were muttering in your sleep._" He scowled. "You were being noisy. You woke me up."

"Well, excuse me for having a nightmare," She scoffed, laying back down on the pad. She turned away from him, facing the wall. "You can go back to sleep now."

She couldn't see him, but a moment later she heard his feet padding across the floor, back beyond the partition to his side of the room. She heard his soft sigh as he settled back down onto his sleeping pad, pulling the blankets over himself. The room descended into silence once more.

For a moment.

"You're breathing too loudly," Zuko complained. "How am I supposed to get back to sleep with you wheezing like that?"

"I'm not _wheezing_," Kiya countered, sitting up again and glaring at the partition, as if he could feel the heat of her gaze through it. "Do you want me to stop breathing, too?"

"If it would help me sleep!"

"You know what else would help you sleep? Shutting up! Quit being such a baby, Zuko."

He snarled. "_Prince! _Prince Zuko! How many times do I have to tell you? Spirits, how does anyone put up with you? You're loud, you're annoying, you're disrespectful-" He broke off. "Why don't you go back to not talking, hm? Then I won't have to listen to your inane chatter."

"_Me?_ You're going to judge _me_?" She laughed rudely. "You're the one who's disrespectful! Have you heard the way you talk to your uncle? And I'd rather be loud and annoying than like you! All you do is mope all the time and obsess over the Avatar. I know a lot of girls who'd give their left arm to be obsessed over that way."

"Obsessed? I am not obsessed-"

"Yes, you are! The Avatar is all you ever think about, besides yourself! You don't care about anyone else's feelings. You're the most pompous, rude person I've ever met!"

There was a sudden silence on the other side of the partition. Kiya was breathing hard, the fear of her nightmare dulled by the anger she felt. He had a lot of nerve to judge her, especially when his imperfections were on display for the world to see.

"You're wrong," He said quietly. "I don't think about myself."

She snorted. _Right_. So it wasn't _his_ honor that he was obsessed with restoring. It wasn't _his_ place in the royal family that he was trying to regain.

"I know you probably don't believe me, but I haven't thought about myself in a long time." He took a deep, shuddering breath that she could hear all the way across the room. "I think of my father, obviously, and what I did wrong. I think of my sister, and what it is that she does so right. And mostly…" He faltered.

She felt the blaze of her anger recede to a dull glow. Curiosity drove her to speak. "Mostly?"

He hesitated, as if he wasn't sure he wanted to tell her. "I think about my mother. I wonder where she is, and why she disappeared. Sometimes, I still have dreams about her… the last thing she said to me was to remember who I am. But how can I remember who I am, when I don't _know_ who I am?" He sighed softly, and she could hear the rustling of his blankets as he turned, moving invisibly from across the dividing line in his room.

It was hard to think of Zuko-much less anyone-from the Fire Nation as someone who was once small, who once had a mother. It did, however, soften her image of him, and she felt a tiny flicker of pity welling within her. She didn't want to feel pity for him, but the feeling was there all the same. She knew what it was like not to have a mother. She knew what it was like to lay awake at night and wonder what could've been if things had turned out differently.

Silently, she slid her legs out from beneath the covers and stood. She tiptoed across the room, easing the partition open the tiniest bit. To her surprise, he was sitting up on his sleeping pad, his arms wrapped around his knees. He looked up when she walked towards him, and gaped when she took a seat on the edge of his sleeping pad, beside him.

"The nightmare I just had was about my mother." She winced after she spoke, mentally chiding herself. What if he didn't want to hear about it? Why had she even bothered to get up? He most likely wanted to be left alone. He had no reason to care about her mother, any more than she did his.

She was relieved when he spoke. "I thought so. I could kind of hear what you were saying…"

Kiya chanced a glance over at him, and found that he looked mildly interested. His face didn't look nearly as threatening then, shadowed in moonlight and fatigue. He looked like a normal, sixteen-year-old boy, despite the scar on his face and the lingering sadness in his eyes.

"What was I saying?" She asked, picking at a loose strand of thread on his blanket.

His gaze dropped to her hands. "You were saying 'Mommy', over and over again. I think you were looking for her."

Kiya blushed in the dark, even though he couldn't see. "Yeah, it was about her." She sighed, leaning back against the wall.

"Did you know her, at all?"

Mutely, Kiya shook her head. It was weird for her to be saying things like that to the prince of the nation who had been responsible for her not having a mother. But at that moment, sitting together in the dark, titles didn't seem to matter. In the still night, she wasn't an assassin, and he wasn't a prince. Not anymore. He was just a boy, and she was just a girl, and the two of them were talking because they had to-talking because sometimes, there was nothing left but words.

"I'm sorry."

She could tell he was genuine, when she looked into his face. For a moment, she thought she could see the real Zuko-the one who was hiding beneath his anger and resentment. She could see the real one, the boy who had once been told by his mother to remember who he was. She could see into him, see the man he could become if he did as his mother had instructed, and she found that she liked him. It was hard not to. If only he let that side of him shine more often.

She knew, however, that as soon as the sun rose that everything they had said would be forgotten, and every little kindness they spared one another would be something never to be mentioned again. She didn't mind. Even if they pretended their conversation never happened, she would know and she would remember.

Kiya nodded. "I'm sorry, too. For what I said." _For everything_.

The two of them sat side by side, relapsing into silence, and back into their memories. Sometimes, if Kiya tried very hard, she could see a faint outline of her mother out of the corner of her eye. But it seemed as soon as she tried to turn, to see her clearly, she would vanish like a ghost. She wondered if Zuko felt that way, too. She wondered if in his dreams, he was chasing after a mother who was always just one step ahead, always just out of sight. She was about to ask him, before she realized he had fallen asleep sitting up, his head bent and resting on his knees. She let the words fall from her mouth, withering in the air. As quietly as she could, she crept back across the room and slid the partition back into place. She crawled back beneath her blankets and settled her head on the pillow, letting her eyes drift closed.

Sometimes, even words just aren't enough.

* * *

**With these chapters, I'm trying to show both the elapse of time and the development of their relationship. Just so you know :p Part one of two. **


	7. Search and Destroy

_"How terrible and brief my desire was to you!  
How difficult and drunken, how tensed and avid.  
Cemetery of kisses, there is still fire in your tombs,  
still the fruited boughs burn, pecked at by birds."  
-A Song of Despair, by Pablo Neruda_

**Day 25**

"This is stupid," Kiya growled, shaking out the creases in the map. "How can one boy possibly cover so much ground in so little time?"

She was frustrated. Now that she too was on the hunt for the Avatar, she could understand Zuko's small amount of patience, and the way he constantly blew up about the smallest of things. Trailing after the Avatar was _infuriating_. It was like he changed his mind everywhere he went, and decided to branch off-course and head in the opposite direction.

The guard seated on her left shrugged. "It's that flying bison he has. That's how they travel around everywhere."

Her eyes widened. The bison. Zuko had told her about the Avatar's companion, but he hadn't really gone into detail. But now that she thought about it, it seemed the bison was their best chance. Of course! She turned to the guard, getting to her feet. She stretched, rubbing the soreness out of her lower back. She'd been poring over the map all morning, and it was nearing the afternoon. "Where's Zuko?"

"The Prince is above deck. He's training, I think." Both of the guards got to their feet, standing at attention. "We'll take you there."

Kiya closed her eyes, breathing deeply. _Don't react. Do not react. _She tried her best to smile convincingly, but it came out as a grimace. "I'll only be a few minutes. I'll go up, tell him my plan, and come back. I promise."

The guards exchanged a glance. "Well… we did want to head down to the galley, to see what was for the midday meal."

"Perfect!" Kiya reached for the map, rolling it up and tucking it into her belt. "You head down there and get something to eat. If Zuko gets mad that you're not with me, I'll simply tell him that I gave you the slip. Trust me, he'll be much angrier with me than he would be with you."

They hesitated a moment, before she fixed them with her most threatening glare. After that, it didn't take long for them to leave the room. She smiled, glad to be free of them, if only for a few moments. Patting the map with one hand, she left the room and walked down the corridor, going to the ladder that would take her up to the top-deck.

It was a beautiful day, she noticed, as she surfaced among the sunlight. It was warm and breezy, and the air was fresh and tangy with the scent of the sea. There wasn't a single cloud in the sky, and several birds lazily floated on the air currents overhead. Kiya watched them fly away, biting her lip hard to beat back the longing that swelled within her.

No matter how many times she had scratched at the tattoo, there had been no one. No matter how many times she'd made her leg bleed, no one had answered her call and no one had come to rescue her. Had the power of the tattoo been a lie? Or had something happened to the Vipers to cause them to leave her alone on the ship? Whatever the reason, she was growing increasingly worried that one day, she would escape and she would go back home to find the compound empty, and everyone she'd ever known gone… or worse.

An explosion of flames to her right dragged her out of her thoughts. Her eyes went to Zuko, as she climbed up on the top-deck. He was shirtless, and sweating already in the warm afternoon. His hair was pulled back away from his face, and the expression there was one of grim determination. His uncle watched from his seat further away, one hand cradling the bowl of food in his lap.

Kiya couldn't help but stare as Zuko went through his exercises; her thoughts of the Vipers vanishing quickly. Every move he made was purposeful and contained all of his strength. His arms and legs were taut, slashing through the air like knives. But at the same time, despite the harsh gestures, it was almost as if he was going through the motions of a dance. His eyes glazed with satisfaction as he planned his next moves, and his feet were sure and strong on the deck's surface. His hair trailed along behind him like a flag as he twisted and writhed, dodging attacks and following up with his own strategies. The way he spun the fire through the air was mesmerizing, and she couldn't tear her eyes away from him as he and two of the crew members sparred.

General Iroh noticed her presence first. "Ah, good afternoon, Kiya!" He called, waving jovially with one chopstick. "Come, join me in some lunch!"

She smiled, in spite of herself. She had grown to like the older man very much, and often sought his company at the end of the day. "No, thank you," She said, as politely as she knew how. "I came up here to talk with Zuko. I'll only be a minute."

Zuko glared at her, noticing her usual lack of respect for his title. He gestured for the two crew members to stop, before he joined her at the side of the deck. "What do you want?"

Standing that close to him, she could see the way his muscles quivered from the grueling workout, and the way the sweat shone on his pale skin. His eyes were tired, but his face suggested he wasn't finished quite yet. He raised his eyebrow, staring at her. "Well? Are you just going to stand there, or are you going to say what you came here to say?"

Kiya let her eyes travel from his chest to his face. "You looked pretty good out there." She bit the inside of her cheek as soon as she realized what she was saying. _Mouth, just what do you think you're doing? How could you let something like that slip out? Where's your self-control?_

He said nothing, just narrowed his eyes. She already knew what he was thinking. He was wondering if it was another trap, another way to test him and make him mess up. But it wasn't. Not this time.

"I'm wondering," She said quickly, "if you're good enough to take me."

His gaze sharpened. "What?"

She shrugged nonchalantly. "I can understand if you don't think it's a good idea. After all, I'm just a girl, and I am just a prisoner…"

"I didn't say no!" He retreated into his thoughts for a moment, gathering himself. "You're saying you want to spar with me?"

She shrugged again. "Sure, why not? I have nothing better to do."

"You can't." His gold eyes traveled down the length of her body. "Not in an outfit like that."

"Fine." She unclipped her belt, letting the scroll fall to the ground. Without a second thought, she pulled the red and black dress over her head. The crew-men who had been sparring with Zuko both gasped, and she heard Iroh cough as he choked on some of his food. Beneath the dress she still wore the white under-dress but she also wore a thin pair of leggings, also given to her by Iroh, on one particularly cold night. She secured the belt back around her waist, so it looked as though she wore a white, sleeveless tunic and black pants.

Zuko's eyes-even the damaged one-were enormous. He seemed stunned into utter disbelief that she had just taken her dress off in front of four men, and in broad daylight on the top-deck of his ship. She was also a little surprised at herself, but at that moment, she was giddy with the promise of violence, and she wanted nothing more than to sweat alongside Zuko, their muscles straining against one another as they fought for control. _Sparring, of course_, she thought to herself, as the implications of that thought danced a little too close for comfort.

"Well?" She asked, her hands on her hips. "Are we going to do this, or what?"

He suddenly folded his arms across his chest. "It wouldn't be fair," He said superiorly, making a face at her. "I'm a bender, and you're not."

"Fine," She replied. "Melee only."

He laughed shortly. "You think I'm dumb enough to put weapons back in your hands?" He shook his head. "I don't think so."

"_Fine_," She growled. "Then give me something else."

Zuko thought about that for a minute, tapping on his chin. Then, he turned to Iroh. "Uncle! Throw me your chair!"

His uncle sighed, setting his bowl on the ground and getting up. He tossed the light, bamboo chair to Zuko, and the prince caught it with one hand. And then promptly smashed it on the deck, slamming it down in one motion. Kiya stared with an open mouth-as did his uncle-as Zuko handed a broken piece of bamboo to her. "There. Is that good enough?"

His uncle sighed again, louder this time, and sat down on the deck, leaning against the wall. He mumbled something about "no good furniture by the time the journey's over", and reached for his bowl once more.

She just nodded dumbly. She briefly wondered if Zuko realized that anything he handed her could be a weapon, but she didn't say anything. Instead, she reached out for one more, waiting expectantly.

"I'm curious, Viper," Zuko said, surveying her once more as he handed her another piece of bamboo. "Why two?"

She didn't correct him. Instead, she turned over the wood in her hands, getting the feel of it. They were a little thinner than the hilts of her daggers, and much too light, but they would do. "There's a few reasons, actually."

He waited patiently.

"You really want to know?"

He shrugged, a smirk finding its way onto his face. "I have nothing better to do. Why don't you educate me on the finer points of dual-wielding?"

Well. Okay, then. She sighed, closing her eyes. What had Gyong told her all of those years ago when he had begun her training? How had he shown her how to fight with two instead of one? She took several deep breaths, fighting to recall the childhood that she had long since forgotten.

"Okay," She said after a moment. "Widen your stance and plant your feet. The ground has to be your anchor, but at the same time, you can't let it hold you down."

He stared at her, perplexed, and she sighed.

"I know it seems hard to wrap your mind around, but the way I was taught is that you have to rely on the ground to be your strength. You have to trust it to keep your feet where you want them to be, and in turn you have to keep your feet on the ground where you want them. However, at the same time, you have to be light on your feet if you need to be-you sometimes have to dodge, parry quickly, or even throw yourself out of the way. It's all about trust. Are you with me so far?"

When he nodded, she continued. "Okay, now, there are a few reasons why I think that fighting with two weapons is better than one. Reason number one," She suddenly veered to her right, ducking down as she spun around behind him. She slid the bamboo stick in her left hand against his back, and came around in front of him again, holding the other up to his throat. He didn't even have time to recover, and he was left at her mercy, her "knife" against his skin.

"It's faster," She said with a grin. "Not only am I in a position to end your life quickly and quietly, but I have also just given you a rather serious injury to the back, before you even had time to spin around. Either way, you'll probably die. Got it?"

"Faster," He repeated, his eyes gleaming with interest as she moved away from him.

"Reason number two is…" She trailed off, before stooping and grabbing another piece of the broken chair. She tossed it to Zuko, who caught it with surprise. "There. Let's pretend that's a short sword. Now, come at me."

Kiya wasn't sure if she was glad or worried about the way that he didn't hesitate. He rose his hands over his head and slashed downwards. She blocked with her right hand, their bamboo slamming together hollowly. With her left hand, she darted upwards and poked him in the stomach with the end of her other bamboo. "Reason number two is that two weapons give you more to defend yourself with, and more to attack with. It gives you the best of both worlds, and lets you decide which you'd rather do-attack, defend, or both."

She stepped away from him again. He flashed her a dirty look, rubbing at the spot where she'd jabbed at him with one hand. She coughed behind one hand to hide the laugh that she knew would only make him angry and want to give up. He stared at her suspiciously, before performing his stance once more.

"Now, come at me-for real this time. I don't think I can demonstrate unless we're really fighting."

Again, he didn't hesitate. He swung at her with the bamboo, and to his surprise, she stuck her left hand behind her back. She parried his blows for a few minutes with just her right hand, blocking every single one of his attacks as if she only wielded one weapon. "There," She said, a bead of sweat forming on her forehead. "Now you know how it would look to fight me with just one weapon. I'm capable of doing damage, but I'm too busy defending to do very much. Now, again."

He swung again, and she parried with her right, coming up suddenly with her left hand. Prepared for the move, he knocked her hand aside, and she went after him again, but with her right hand. She managed to hit him in the arm, before he blocked. She then began the real attack, dodging and dancing in a flurry of moves. She watched him as she managed to break his footing several times by driving him backwards with her relentless attack. He looked annoyed, and she could see by the sweat pouring down his chest that she was exhausting him. His eyes tried to follow both of her blades, but he was having a hard time.

"Enough!" He said, as she prodded him twice with her bamboo. He dropped his bamboo and kicked it away, his chest heaving with their exertions.

"And that's reason number three," She said, relaxing her stance. "With two weapons, I can deal damage with not only my main hand, but also my off-hand."

"Yeah," He said wryly, rubbing his side. "I get that." It was only then that she noticed the scratches against his skin, and the marks where she had hit him. They would darken into bruises by the time the two of them were finished.

She made a face, shrugging, hoping it would suffice as an apology.

By now, more of the crew had surfaced and were watching from the sidelines. The expressions on their faces were both wary and bemused. Never had they seen someone challenge the Prince, and never had they seen someone actually teach him something that he didn't know, besides bending. If Kiya strained, she could hear some of the bets being placed among them-though she couldn't tell if they were for her, or against her.

"I want to try now," Zuko said, picking his bamboo up again and it in half with his hands. "Let's spar for real."

Kiya raised an eyebrow at him. "Are you certain that you know what it means to have two weapons?"

He nodded.

"And you think you're certain enough to go up against me? A Master who's been developing the skill since she was seven years old?"

He nodded again.

She just laughed. "Then you're an idiot. Can't you just learn and grow without having to constantly prove yourself? You couldn't possibly take me on, and I'm not saying that to brag. I'm saying it to be honest."

A murmur rose up among the men as they stared at the spectacle, too intrigued to turn away and go back to their duties.

Zuko clenched his teeth, his eyes glowing with rage. "We've fought before. I think I can handle it."

That was true, but she'd only had one knife then. She hadn't had time to grab for the other. She wanted to remind him of that fact, but she knew he wouldn't listen. He really wanted to fight her.

Finally, she shook her head. "Fine. Try and knock me down, if you can."

They circled each other, two predators stalking their intended prey. He would lunge, and she would evade, and they would both retreat. Theirs was an intricate dance, their feet constantly moving in a pattern that would ultimately lead to one of them as the victor. Finally, they lunged simultaneously, and a hollow whack echoed around the quiet deck as their bamboo met in fierce collision.

The fight was over in less than a minute. He went after her with everything that he had, but she was too quick for him. She dodged and hit him across the back, and across the back of his legs and he went sprawling to the ground. None of the crew dared to even breathe, as the enraged Prince got back to his feet.

"Again!" He yelled, picking up his bamboo pieces.

She shook her head again, before sliding the pieces of bamboo into her belt. "No, Zuko. Stop. Come here."

He stiffened, before approaching her warily. "What?"

"Make your stance, and then stand still." He did as he was told, and she walked around him, surveying with critical eyes. "Okay, first of all, you're forgetting you have two weapons. Here." She knocked his left elbow out further, so he was holding the weapons out more surely. "There. Remember, while there are more chances to hit, there are also more chances to miss. Secondly, you're trusting the ground, but you're relying on it too much. Remember, even solid ground can have slippery slopes. You need to trust it and rely on it, but you also have to take matters into your own hands, or-" She smiled briefly. "Your own feet."

Zuko sighed through his nose. "Are you finished criticizing me?"

"Be quiet, pupil." His eyes widened at that, but he said nothing. "Hm… yes, there's one more thing, and this is perhaps the most worrisome." She sighed, grabbing his arms. She stretched them out, pulling them towards her until the bamboo sticks he held were pressed against each of her shoulders. "You're not holding them right."

He stared. "But you just said-"

"No, your grip is fine. What I mean is you're not _holding them_. They're your weapons, Zuko. They are in your hands, and combined with your intent, they have the power to take a life. They have the power to protect you. But you aren't treating them like that. You're treating them like _whats_, when you should be treating them like _whos_."

He sighed again, his arms sagging slightly. "You're not making any sense."

She grabbed his wrists, straightening his arms again. "Yes, I am. You're just not listening. Now, maybe you've heard this before, but think of it like this: the knives are an extension of your arms. Close your eyes, and think on that. Don't imagine them as being in your hands. Imagine them _as_ your hands. Imagine it's like bending. The hilts are your hands, and the blades are the fire you use. Envision it."

He did as she said, letting his eyes close. He took several deep breaths through his nose, letting them out through his parted lips. He repeated this several times, concentrating hard enough that his brow furrowed. She briefly wondered what he was seeing in his mind-how he pictured what she felt day after day. Her hands twitched with excitement. Although she wanted him to learn and understand, she couldn't help but interrupt.

"Do you feel it? Do you feel that they're a part of you?"

His eyes were glazed and sleepy when he opened them slowly, and he nodded silently. She could tell by the way that he relaxed his grip on the sticks and seemed to hold himself differently. He trusted them now. He felt the connection, and he would be able to work with them more effectively.

"Excellent." She grabbed his hands this time, flipping them over so they faced the sky. She pried his fingers off of the bamboo, letting the wood rest there on his open palms. "The last lesson is the most important. Keep in mind, these are dual-swords, or daggers, or whatever blade you prefer." She laid her palms over the wood, sandwiching the bamboo between her hands and his. "They're two halves of a single weapon. Don't think of them as separate, because they're not. They're just two different parts of the same whole.*"

He stared at their hands, his eyes wide. To her surprise, he tightened his hands around hers, closing their hands around the bamboo. Time seemed to freeze for just a moment, a fractured moment where she looked up at him and saw _something_. She opened her mouth to say something, something relevant to what she was feeling at that moment-confused, embarrassed, attracted-but nothing came out.

The moment shattered as there was suddenly a whistle from the one of the crew, and she stopped herself, stopped the words that might have come out had she given them time. It was never the time, it was never the place, and there was no point. There was nothing between them, at all. It was just a misguided fantasy that she wanted to believe in.

She pulled her hands away from his at the same time he did, and he threw his bamboo away from him, towards the gathered crew-men. They scattered quickly like roaches, going back below to their duties. Zuko's face was flushed a deep scarlet, and the look he gave her was mutinous. She wearily pulled the bamboo sticks from her belt, and dropped them to the deck. Unable to look Zuko in the eyes, she reached for her dress and pulled it back over her head.

"What did you come here to tell me?" He asked roughly.

Oh. Right. Of course. Back to business. She shook her head, trying to clear away the stupid thoughts of him. "I think I have an idea, for finding the Avatar." She inhaled, blowing out a breath as she looked up at him once more. "But you're probably not going to like it."

* * *

**Day 42**

"Zuko."

_I'm dreaming_, he thought, as he heard Irada's voice inside his head. _She isn't really here. I wish she was here, but she's not._ He had long since accepted the loneliness of his life abroad, but there were still times when the dreams came, and brought him back to a simpler time.

"Come on," The voice whispered again, more sharply this time. "I know you can hear me."

He heard the edge on the words, and immediately he recognized it for what it really was: Kiya's voice. Not Irada. Never Irada, as much as he closed his eyes and wished she was. Sometimes, though, there were fleeting moments when he didn't mind the assassin as much. He actually found himself liking her because she _was_ Kiya. Sometimes there were times when he liked her precisely for that edge she was displaying right at that moment.

"Zuko?"

He heard the whisper. Heard it, and ignored it. He groaned and burrowed deeper in his blankets, ignoring the annoyed huff of breath that followed.

"Come on, get up." A finger poked him directly in the side, and he bared his teeth, invisible beneath his blankets. "Zuko. Wake up. I need to tell you something. Zuko? Zuuuuuuuuko." The finger poked him two more times, harder each time, until he couldn't take it any longer.

He snarled, sitting up and letting the blanket fall around his waist. "What do you want?" He asked, turning to look at Kiya.

She stared at him, her eyes as wide as a cat-owl's. "No wonder they never wake you before the sun rises. It's downright _scary_."

"What do you want?"

"No, really…" She narrowed her eyes, squinting at an area just above his face. "How does your hair get that way during the night? Do rats nest in it, or something? How do you possibly tame that wild forest up there?"

"Kiya," He said, clenching his teeth. "If I have to ask you one more time…"

"Oh, _fine_," She said, rolling her eyes. "I was just trying to make conversation. Anyways…" She held up a scroll, waving it around. "Ari sends word."

Several weeks before, she had come up with the idea to contact one of her old friends-a Viper who had retired, and served instead as a freelance tracker. She was a twenty-something woman by the name of Ari, and according to Kiya, they had done a lot of "jobs" together in the past. Ari was the best tracker in the world, and using the help of her surprisingly tame raven-eagle, she would make short work of tracking the Avatar's flying bison. Also according to Kiya.

At first, he had said no. Did she think he was a complete and utter fool? He knew letting her contact an old colleague would be potentially dangerous. He knew the risks involved with her contacting _anyone_. She could've brought down an entire group of elite Viper assassins upon his head, even though she claimed to be the best one, besides her master. He had decided it was out of the question, and had ignored her pleas.

Some days had passed, during which his desperation had reached an all time high. Frustrated to the point where he was ready to throw himself off the ship, she had once more suggested they contact Ari. And in his deluded, enraged state, he had agreed. He had quickly had a scribe write a message, before sending it off with one of their messenger hawks. They had received an answer no more than two days later. Ari had agreed to help, and she sent in weekly reports in the talons of her imposing raven-eagle, Sora. So far, they hadn't had any luck but _according to Kiya_, Ari would be closing in any day now.

He frowned, staring at the scroll in her hands. "And you woke me up for that? So what? She says the same thing every time: 'No luck yet'. I thought you said she was the best."

Kiya scowled. "She _is_ the best. But you have to give her time. She isn't a magician, you know." She sighed, handing it to him. "Anyways, here. You can read it."

He took the scroll from her, pausing to look her over. Her face was wan, and dark violet smudges blossomed beneath her lashes. Her green eyes were dull and bloodshot, and he realized that although it was early morning-early enough so that even the sun was still asleep-she hadn't slept. At all. She tried to hide it, but he could see it in the way her hands trembled, and the way she seemed to be present only half of the time.

His frown deepened. "Why haven't you been sleeping?"

Suspicion coated her words like ice. "You've been watching me?"

"No, but you as good as confessed right now. So I'll ask again, why haven't you been sleeping?"

She shrugged, looking uncomfortable. "I'm tired of the nightmares. They're becoming a nuisance, and they're a distraction. So I just thought-"

"What? That you'd stay awake until you died?"

She stared at him with a gaze that could melt steel. "I notice, _Prince_, that you do your fair share of lying awake at night. I am not the only one aboard this vessel who has problems sleeping, I can assure you. I hear you mumbling in the night often enough."

He flushed. She was right. Most nights, he didn't sleep. Most nights, he stayed awake, thinking about the Avatar. On those rare nights when he did sleep, it was only because he was lulled into dreams by the sound of her breathing across the room. And even then, the nightmares came: blistering images of his father, his face livid; or of his soft-spoken mother, and what may have happened to her.

"Do you hear what I say?"

Her gaze softened, and she focused on a point above his left shoulder. "Just once. I think you said… 'Azula always lies.'" She made a face, blinking as she faded in and out of exhaustion. "Is that true?"

He sighed wearily. He didn't want to think about his bloodthirsty, scheming sister. "Yeah, it's true." Ending the conversation momentarily, he opened the scroll and read what Ari had written. He stared, dumb-founded, before reading the words again. His pounding heart couldn't believe it.

_Prince: _

_I know it's been some time since I last wrote, and I am deeply sorry for the delay, but Sora and I have picked up the Avatar's trail, and we should be upon him in several days time. I'll send word when we find him, and I'll let you know where he may be found. _

_-Ari _

"I don't believe it," Zuko breathed, unable to contain his excitement. "She actually did it. She found him!"

Kiya yawned, her entire body shuddering. "I told you. Too bad you didn't listen to me earlier… bet we would've had him by now…"

"Oh, just go to bed." He grinned at her, to let her know that he was joking. It felt good, to smile, and to be able to joke. Suddenly, everything seemed ten times better. He was going to have the Avatar! Already, he could imagine sailing home, stepping off that ship and onto the familiar, beloved ground of the Fire Nation. In his mind's eye, he could see the brilliantly waving banners of scarlet and gold, and the cheers as his people celebrated his triumphant return. Azula would finally see that he wasn't worthless, and his father would finally have the son he'd always wanted… and he would be proud of him. He'd be a hero. The Fire Nation would prosper, all thanks to him.

She stared for a moment, gauging his reaction. Satisfied that he really _was_ joking, she tentatively smiled back. "Well, if you say so…" She stood, dipping her head in a respectful nod. "Prince."

He watched her walk back across the room, and disappear behind the partition. Somehow, he felt like much progress had been made… and not just in the quest for the Avatar. With a smile, he jumped out of bed and began getting dressed. It was still early, but already he knew it was going to be a good day.

* * *

Zuko sighed when he returned to his quarters late that afternoon. He'd told his uncle of Ari's success, and celebrated with the rest of the crew before throwing himself into training. He had spent hours above deck, practicing not only his bending, but also his skills with two weapons. He was tired, but it was a glorious sort of pain that pulled at his muscles. It was the kind of pain he could rejoice in, knowing that it would all be worth it.

He placed the two swords he had back on the wall in his quarters, being as quiet as possible so he didn't wake Kiya. He knew that the next day when they trained together, she would be pleased. He had made considerable progress, and he had even found a way to work his dual-weapon training into his bending, by creating two daggers of fire that he held in his fists. It was a workout, but it served its purpose of incorporating both worlds into practice. He hoped she would be impressed.

He flicked a glance over towards the partition. Kiya had been sleeping the entire day, and the ship had been oddly quiet without her prowling around the corridors. He'd almost missed her, before he reminded himself that she was just an assassin-and he was a prince. Sometimes it was so easy to forget the boundaries that separated their lives. After all, she had sort of tumbled into his life, and the dividing line between the two of them seemed to blur with each passing day. Now they were stuck together, whether they liked it or not… and lately, Zuko found himself hating it less than usual.

Like now. He inched the partition open, sneaking a look over at her as she slept. Even in her sleep, she was troubled and brash, as he saw the frown crease her brow and her mouth mutter something uncomplimentary. He snickered quietly, before pushing the partition aside completely and stepping softly into her side of the room. He dropped down into a kneel at the side of her sleeping pad, his muscles relaxing as he finally sat. Hesitantly, he reached out one hand to move the wayward strands of her hair off of her face.

She moved in her sleep, turning unconsciously towards him. Her hair framed her face while she slept, spilling out behind her in tangled waves. He wanted to brush the gnarls from it with his fingers, until the threads of it ran silky smooth in his hands. She breathed slowly, deeply, and one of her hands twitched at the corner of her pillow. He couldn't help watching her. He knew it would've been smart to go back to his side of the room, and forget all about the alien feeling that had been building in his stomach, but his body wouldn't move. He was frozen at her side, one hand still absently brushing the strands of her hair away from her face.

Before he could change his mind, he leaned over her and, still cupping her face, pressed his lips against hers. He could feel her slowly come awake, felt her eyelashes tickle along his cheek as she opened her eyes. He sat back up, realizing just what he'd done when she frowned at him.

"I was dreaming," She said, almost accusingly, as she sat up. The blankets fell to her waist, and he noticed just how transparent her under-dress was. He quickly averted his eyes, flushing.

"Sorry," He said awkwardly, clearing his throat. "I just… wanted to thank you…"

She smiled ruefully. "Well that's one way to do it."

Shifting so she was on her knees, she leaned forward and kissed him. Only partly surprised, he met her halfway, one hand going around to cup her head as he drank her in. Her lips opened for him eagerly, and he gladly accepted, exploring with his tongue. Her hands suddenly appeared between them, and she pushed against his chest, pushing him backwards. All at once, he was on his back on the floor, and she was settled comfortably against his hips. The scene felt all too familiar, and it hit him that he might have just waltzed into another trap.

But when she pulled away from him, she didn't grin evilly or whip out a knife she'd been concealing. Instead, she just watched him. She just moved her eyes over his face, and lightly stroked the skin of his chest. She seemed to be evaluating him, as if trying to discern what his motives were. Even he didn't know. She reached for his face, pushing his hair back with her hands. She moved it away from his face, so she could see him clearly. Then she started touching his scar. He inhaled sharply when she first settled her fingers over it, but as she began prodding and poking, he got over the initial shock. He let his eyes close, as she massaged his face with curiosity.

"So," She said finally, her voice rising just above a whisper. "This is the scar I've heard so much about." He barely opened his eyes, staring at her through slits. "It must be terrible, to be branded by suffering."

_Suffering_. He physically flinched. Why had she chosen that word? It was as if she knew what his father said. As if she had been there at the Agni Kai. Her words sounded sarcastic, and he instantly felt his wall go up. Zuko's hands twitched, folding into fists. "What would you know about it?"

She rolled off of him quickly, and by the time he sat up, she was back on her sleeping pad. The look she gave him was icy. "What would _I_ know? Of course, I forgot. Only royalty must know what true suffering is. Only those who are banished from palace life can truly understand the full capacity of agony." She glared at him, as he shook his hair back over his face. "You don't know what it's like to lose someone. You couldn't possibly understand the helplessness, and the fear."

Why did she have to ruin it? Why couldn't she have just been content to kiss him and be quiet? The moment-if there had been one in the first place-had shattered. He was so frustrated, he wanted to hit something. "That's where you're wrong."

"What?"

"You don't know what you're talking about!" Zuko stood in a flash, stepping away from her. "I've lost _everything_! My mother vanished, my father cast me out, and now I've lost the one thing that still bound me to my old life: my honor! Don't you get it?" Swinging one arm, he sent a trail of blazing fire at the wall. It caught one of his tapestries, a worn symbol of the Fire Nation, and it began slowly burning. She flinched when he spun around back towards her. "I'm _nothing_! If I died out here, nobody would care!"

Kiya rose to her feet, kicking her blankets away from her. "That's not true! What about your uncle?"

Zuko shook his head, bitterness making his words black. "My uncle's mind is going. All he cares about is tea and Pai Sho. I can't rely on him anymore than I could rely on you."

She made a face at him. "How could you say something like that? He's the only family you have left, and he _does _care about you, I've seen it! How would you like to live without any family, at all? That's true suffering!"

"Sounds like a blessing to me!" Didn't it? What if he had no father to hold such high expectations over his head, and no sister to constantly compete against? What if there had been no mother to break apart his world by disappearing in the middle of the night? What kind of a person would he have been if he hadn't been a part of his thrice-cursed _family_?

Too late, he realized how wrong the words were. Kiya shrank back on her sleeping pad, and the look she gave him was murderous. "You're right," She said, her words strangely calm, despite the way she was shaking with anger. "I'm truly blessed to live such an empty, lonely life. My mistake, _Prince_."

"Kiya-"

"_Don't_," She snarled, slipping back down beneath her blankets. "Don't you even. Just… don't."

He strode back across the room, slamming the partition closed behind him. It snapped into place half-heartedly, and that only fueled his rage. He wanted to break something, wanted to smash something with his bare hands. He paced angrily, knowing she was listening on the other side.

Why couldn't the two of them just operate like normal teenagers? He knew it then, as she fought to keep his fury leashed. He knew they could never be together, not in a way that was normal. The two of them would never be able to share something even remotely close to anything like love-because in the next instant, they would be at each other's throats. They'd tear each other apart before they ever had some semblance of a relationship.

He wasn't sure which infuriated him more-knowing they'd never be together, or knowing that he secretly wanted them to be.

* * *

**Part two of two. Sorry for the long wait, I got caught up in the holidays here in the States. Now that I'm back, I have several things to say:**

One-after rewriting some of the later chapters, I've decided to change the rating. It should say now that it's rated T. 

**Two-Ari and Sora are also both characters of my own creation.**

**Three-I know Zuko knows how to dual-wield quite effectively by episode thirteen of Book One, since that's the episode about the Blue Spirit, but I think he had to learn from someone, and I decided to make my character that someone. This is where the AU description comes in. It's still the Avatar world, but I've messed with the timing of things enough so that I've labeled it AU. I hope that makes sense...**

**Four-If you managed to catch the bit of dialogue up there that is from the show (Book Two), I'm now giving the writers of ATLA credit, just so you don't think I'm plagiarizing or anything. It's marked with an asterisk (*).  
**

**Sorry for the really long note. More chapters soon! **


	8. Slowly Taking Me Apart

_"Neither fire nor wind, birth nor death can erase our good deeds." -Buddha_

"When your friend said a _few days_, I didn't expect several weeks to pass," Zuko growled, glaring daggers at Kiya at his tore open the newest scroll from Ari.

She shrugged, watching him from where she sat across the table. "What does it matter? You have it now."

The two of them had been coldly civil since their fight, barely two weeks prior. The days had passed with the two of them waiting for word from her tracker friend, but every day they had scanned the horizon to no avail. To fill up the endless hours, she had played Pai Sho with General Iroh, and had read several books on warfare and poetry that he had lent her. Sometimes, she and Zuko sparred together, but it was nothing like it had been that first time. There was no heat in it, no compassion-only a scripted dance strung together by different moves. He was getting better, but she was still the best. That only made him angrier at her.

She spoke to him as little as she could. The fight was still fresh in her mind, and it wasn't hard to remember, with the tattered, scorched banner of the Fire Nation still hanging in their shared quarters. She remembered his words most, though, and how he had considered her predicament to be a blessing. The words still stung, even weeks later, and as much as she wanted their quarrel to be over, she couldn't shake the feeling that she couldn't trust him-and she never should have let her guard down in the first place.

She watched as he read whatever it said, his eyes moving quickly across the page and his lips wordlessly following. "She has him!" He said, reading some more. "Or, she's at the same place he and his friends are. They're at a small Earth Kingdom village, only a few hours from here." He frowned. "They must have been traveling alongside us, miles apart, for days." He stood, crumpling the scroll in his fist. "Helmsmen! Make for the nearest village!"

She felt the ship groan as it turned slowly, making its way through the water and back towards the shores of the Earth Kingdom. _Here's my chance_, she thought, as she got to her feet and looked out the window at the rolling blue water beneath them. _As soon as we reach land, I'm gone. _

"Prince Zuko," She piped up suddenly. Ever since the fight, she had referred to him only as Prince Zuko, never Zuko. There were no joking smiles now, and certainly no friendly feelings. "I have a question, if I may."

"What?" He regarded her warily.

"I would be honored if you would take me ashore, so that I may fight with you." She raised her head proudly. "I have helped you find the Avatar as I said I would, and I think it's only proper that you take me along. I intend to see this through to the end."

"As a peasant, I really doubt you should be telling _me_ what's proper," He replied coolly. "But you're right. You did help me. So yes, you can come along."

She bowed her head. "Thank you." Pivoting, she turned and left the bridge, never sparing the Prince a backwards glance. If she had, she would've seen the way his eyes glowed with menace as a plan formed in his head.

* * *

There was a sigh somewhere above Kiya. "Rika," A deep, rumbling voice said, "She is just perfect. She looks just like you."

She knew she was dreaming this time for sure. She was lingering in that place between asleep and awake, but she was just so warm, she didn't want to open her eyes. From beyond her eyelids, she could sense everything: she heard the comforting, crackling fire that warmed the entire room; she heard the pattering of rain on a wooden roof; she could smell faint scents of some stew in the air, along with the musty scent of animal furs; and there, just beyond everything else, was the faint smell of some flowery perfume. The entire scene felt familiar to her, as if she had been there before, but she couldn't recall when or where.

A soft laugh-blatantly female-followed the familiar male voice. "No, not quite, Xano. She looks just like Ira." Two laughs intertwined. "But she has your eyes. Look at them! Such big, pretty eyes. They're like enormous emeralds." A contented sigh. "That was what first drew me to you, you know. Your eyes."

Amusement laced the words of the man. "I'm sure."

Another soft laugh. "I'm serious, Xano! I fell in love with you because of your eyes. Even before we were formally introduced."

The man-Xano-began to say something, but Kiya could hear a muffled shout, and a knock, a hollow sound against wood. There was a creak-someone rising from a chair-and the swinging open of a door. The rain sound grew louder, and Kiya could hear voices: Xano's, and someone else. She strained to hear what was being said, squirming in her warm, sleepy place, but somewhere to her left, a baby had begun to cry-

There was another knock, louder this time. Kiya's eyes opened, and she stared up at the metal ceiling of Prince Zuko's quarters. Asleep. When had she fallen asleep? She had come back to prepare herself for the time when she and the Prince would leave the ship, and would go after the Avatar. She had gone back to their shared quarters to prepare herself for the moment when she'd escape. _Well, I guess I fell asleep_, she thought, sitting up as there was a third knock on their door. "Yeah, yeah," She grumbled, stumbling to her feet and going across the room. She threw the door open, and found herself face to face with General Iroh.

She smiled, bowing her head. "General Iroh, hello! Is it time to go ashore?"

He nodded, and opened his mouth to speak, but he was promptly shoved aside by Prince Zuko. "Not quite," The Prince said, glaring at her. "Do you ever stop thinking I'm an idiot?"

General Iroh appeared again. "Prince Zuko, you said-"

"I don't care what I said, Uncle!" Zuko pointed down the corridor. "Go up and tell the men to ready the rhinos. Now!"

Tossing her an apologetic look, General Iroh sighed and disappeared. Two guards-Kiya's guards, in fact-appeared in his place. The three of them blocked the doorway out, and she took a step backward, narrowing her eyes at Zuko.

"What is this?"

"You're not coming. I'm not going to risk you escaping and running away to find your friends. You might come back to kill me, and-" A flash of pain darted through his eyes. "I have to get the Avatar back to my father. I'm sorry, but I cannot fail again."

"But you said-"

"I lied." His eyes flicked to her guards. "Take her back down to the brig and leave her there."

"No!" She yelled, even as the two guards grabbed her arms and hauled her out of the room. "You can't keep me here forever! You can't!"

The Prince watched as the two guards practically dragged her down the corridor. She could've thought there was a glimmer of something in his face-maybe remorse, but it vanished as he turned and made his way back to the deck.

"No!" She screamed, her voice breaking as her throat was scratched raw. "NO! YOU CAN'T KEEP ME HERE! YOU CAN'T KEEP ME A PRISONER FOREVER!"

She struggled as hard as she could, but the guards were unrelenting. Marching loudly, they made the familiar trek down below to the underbelly of the ship. Anger raced through her veins as they kicked open the doors and dragged her inside. _How could he? How dare he? _She clenched her fists as they unlocked the same cage she had been brought to in the beginning. _I'm tired of this. I am not going to be a prisoner any longer._ They threw her back into her old cell, slamming the door shut behind her.

Snarling, she threw herself at the bars, yowling and swiping with her hands like a feral cat. "You wait," She growled through bared teeth. "I'm going to kill you, and then I'm going to kill Prince Zuko. If I have to, I will bring this entire nation to its knees, one gaping throat at a time, until I get to the Fire Lord." With burning eyes, she looked at the two guards as they began to warily retreat from the room. "I will kill you all!"

"Yeah," One of them piped up, clearing his throat. "You just try and do that while you're stuck down here."

Her response was pungent and succinct, and with a ghost of fear in their eyes, the two guards hurriedly edged out of the room. Making a noise between a roar and a scream, she sat down hard, slamming her fists against the metal bottom of the cage. With an aggravated groan, she drew her knees up to her chest and dropped her head into her hands.

_What was the point of all of this? Why did I even bother? I've failed. I've failed Gyong, I've failed Onu, and most of all, I've failed myself. How the hell am I going to get out of here?_

From above she could hear the pounding of many boots, as the soldiers and crew prepared to dock at the Earth Kingdom town. There were muffled shouts and calls back and forth, and from deep down below she could hear the slapping of waves along the hull. Eventually, the sounds faded, until she was sure the ship was mostly empty, and everyone else-including the Prince-were on land and on their way to capture the Avatar. She heard nothing but silence.

And a bird whistling.

Kiya raised her head, looking around. There were no windows in the brig, and it would be impossible to hear a bird from all the way up on the top deck. And yet, there was a bird somewhere below with her, calling… It seemed to be asking a question, waiting for a reply. She slowly stood, leaning against the bars of her cage. Hesitantly, she whistled back.

There was a deep, low laugh to her right, somewhere in the shadows. "I wondered when you would catch on." The owner of the voice strode into the light, and Kiya felt her heart leap in her chest.

"Gyong!" She cried, sinking down into a respectful kneel. "I hardly dared to hope you'd still come…"

The tall man smiled down at her in her cell, running one hand over his dark beard. "You didn't really think we'd so readily abandon you, did you? We heard your calls, Kiya, but we had to wait for the right moment to come back." He dipped his head into a solemn bow. "We are very sorry for making you suffer on this ship."

Kiya blinked. "We?"

Gyong looked over his shoulder. "You may come out now."

There was a high-pitched laugh, and Kiya's face broke out in a radiant smile as a familiar blonde, blue-eyed boy skipped out of the shadows. "Onu!" She cried, practically jumping up and down. "I wanted so much to believe you were alive, and you are!" She reached through the bars, hugging the smaller boy to her. "I'm so sorry. What happened?"

Onu laughed, grinning widely as she released him. "I fell overboard when the idiot prince kicked me, and it managed to knock the wind out of me, but when I hit the water, I made a bubble around myself and stayed there for a few hours. I eventually swam back to shore, and I picked at my tattoo and settled down to wait. Gyong came and found me two days later."

_Two days_. She turned to look at her master. "I called to you many times in the past months, and you didn't even send me a single word. I thought-" She broke off. It'd be better if she didn't say what she had thought so many times, alone in the night. "So why now? What is so right about now?"

"There is much to tell you," Gyong said, shaking his head. "But first, we must get you out of this cage. Onu, get to work." The young boy nodded, before pulling forth a lock pick and jamming it into the padlock. Gyong went to the chest across the room and picked that lock, opening it and removing her armor and weapons. Her heart swelled to see them again.

Within moments, she was out of her cage and hugging Onu once again. Gyong had vanished, going up to the top deck to make sure the coast was clear. She quickly undressed, throwing on her familiar black uniform and her purple cloak, clipping her belt back on and sliding her knives into their sheaths. Once her hair was pulled back into its usual braid, and her Viperstrike was secure at her back, she was ready.

"So now what?" She asked Onu, as the two of them raced from the room. "We go back to the compound?"

He laughed joyfully. "No, of course not! We're breaking you out, and we're following the Prince."

Kiya stopped dead in her tracks, almost skidding in the hallway. "What? Why?"

When Onu turned to look at her, his face was grave. "Kiya, we failed. You know to be able to return to the Vipers, you _must_ complete the kill." He tilted his head to the side. "Your honor is at stake here. I would've thought you, of all people, would've understood."

She took the barb, knowing he was right. How long had she been a Viper? She knew the rules as well as anyone, especially since she and Gyong had made up quite a few of them. For one to even return to the Vipers after a contract, the kill has to be finished. If the mark is left alive, Gyong could strip them of their rank, exile them, or even kill the Viper for their failure. The only way to make it right would be to kill the intended target, to regain the lost honor and return home.

_That's it, then_, she thought as the two of them clambered up to the top deck. _I have to kill the Prince. Earlier, I was angry, and it was much easier said than done. But now…_ The days of the past two months flashed before her, as she thought to the time she had spent among the Prince and his people. There had been cruelty, yes, as he had locked her in the brig and had insulted her time and time again. But there had been those fleeting moments when she had seen him for the person he really was, like the night they had spoken of their families, the two of them sitting in the dark together, and there had been the time he had kissed her to say thank you, and the way his uncle had taken care of her like she was his own child. It warmed her heart to remember those moments when for one brief, shining time, she had felt like she had a home and a real family.

But she had a home, and she had a family. They were with her now, rescuing her in her time of need. Shaking her head, she brushed away the image of the heartbroken General Iroh, as he held his dead nephew in his arms, knowing Kiya was the one who had done it.

_I have to kill him_. Softly, she let out a breath. If she was really going to kill him, she would do it honorably, and in the nicest way possible.

_Spirits guide my hands, and make my kills swift. _

Gyong was standing at the stern when the two of them reached the top deck. The breeze blew his long, umber hair out behind him, and he stood with his thumbs tucked into his moss green belt. He didn't turn when they approached. He only stared out at the land, his eyes searching as the green and brown mixed together into a wonderful palette beneath the blue of the sky.

Kiya took her place beside him, looking uneasily up at his scarred face. "Master?"

His eyes strayed across the landscape of the world at their feet. "I stand here, looking out at the world, and do you know what I see?"

Kiya and Onu shook their heads.

"I see a land that has not yet felt the ravaging of the war that has already beset its people. I see countless lives that have been destroyed by the Fire Nation. But do you know what else I see?" He looked down at the two of them, his dark eyes gleaming. "I see hope. I see the willingness to fight for freedom. That makes this old heart proud." Clearing his throat, he began to walk down the gangway that rested on the beach. "Come. We must reach the Avatar before Prince Zuko, or we shall be too late!"

"Wait!" Kiya called, as she and Onu ran after their master. "I thought we were following so that I might finish the kill and return home."

Gyong spared her a glance. "Perhaps. But we must also ensure the Avatar is alive and well. We cannot leave without knowing, yes?"

"Yes, of course," Kiya murmured, hurrying along behind her fellow Black Vipers as they made for the village just beyond the forest. Her heart was beating wickedly fast, and she couldn't help feeling a sense of dread settle over her, as they plunged themselves into the wilds of the Earth Kingdom.

Only moments later, Gyong halted, silently holding his hand up to call them to stop as well. Kiya sucked in a lungful of air through her nose, quietly letting it out her mouth as she fought to keep her heart rate under control. It had been hard, to quickly follow Gyong and Onu, as she had been trapped on the ocean for more than two months. However, she had forced down the dizziness and had ignored the way the earth seemed to rush up to meet her below her feet, and she had followed, running as fast as she could. She was out of shape, and she knew Gyong could tell, but so far he had chosen to remain silent and focused on the task at hand.

_I should do the same_, she thought, as Gyong parted the brush in front of them. There lay the Earth Kingdom village, and already Kiya could hear the screams of frightened people and their children as Zuko and his cronies ransacked their homes.

"This is perfect, Kiya," Onu said, quivering with excitement. "You've really done it this time! Even if you don't kill Zuko, I'm sure you'll return home a hero. Right, Master?"

Gyong smiled, looking down at Onu. "Quite possibly."

Kiya looked between the two of them, confused. What was Onu talking about? She _had_ to kill Zuko, or she wasn't allowed to go home at all. And what was that nonsense about her being a hero? What exactly had she done?

She bowed to Gyong, before taking a step back. "Master," She said. "I am very sorry, but I'm not going along with the two of you until you tell me what is going on. I can't fight, not knowing exactly what the plan is. You once used to tell me everything. You both trusted me with your lives. And now I feel like I'm the annoying apprentice who asks too many questions, and must be kept in the dark for her own safety."

Gyong sighed. "You're right, Kiya. I'm sorry. Onu and I should come clean, beginning at the start of this mission."

Kiya stared. At the beginning of the mission? What did that have to do with anything? She had failed, plain and simple. Unless…

Her mind was suddenly drawn back to the fight, the one between her, Onu and Prince Zuko. The Prince had mistaken her for Irada, his childhood sweetheart, or so she had guessed from the way he spoke to the mysterious girl in his sleep. He had paused, reaching out to make sure she was real. She closed her eyes, trying hard to remember what she _hadn't _been looking at. Onu had been on the ground, leaning against the side of the deck. And then, when he had stood to hit Prince Zuko, he had raised his staff… Kiya blinked in surprise, her eyes opening wide. _He had raised his staff._

"You," She breathed, looking at Onu. "You could've blasted him away with your water-bending, but you didn't. You let yourself be knocked from the deck." He grinned and nodded at her, as she turned to stare with enormous eyes at Gyong. "And so you planned for me to be caught." Her words caught in her throat, as she took another step back, away from them. "Why?"

Gyong smiled, as if the answer was obvious. "Oh, come now, Kiya! You're my best assassin, but you couldn't have done so well if you knew what was going to happen! That's why we had to wait to rescue you. You were the bait, my dear. You were to stay on the ship and help the Prince find the Avatar."

Kiya frowned. "To what end?"

Gyong laughed this time, quietly so they wouldn't be discovered, but loud enough so that the sound seemed to echo in Kiya's ears. "Kiya, this world is ending. It has shown itself to be a failure, as it cannot even stand against the minions of the Fire Nation. I am old, and the people I lead do not care whether the world reigns in flames so long as there are people to kill and money to be made. And as long as the Avatar is a threat to the Fire Nation, there _is_ money to be made. Lots of money, as a matter of fact." He paused, looking out towards the village. "You were left on the ship to lead us to the Avatar, and now that we've found him, we may take him and ransom him to the highest bidder. Namely the Fire Lord."

The ground seemed to cave in below her feet, and she felt the sky spinning overhead. She reached out with one hand, steadying herself on a nearby tree lest she fall head over heels into the nightmare that was stretched out before her. "But…" Her voice cracked. "What about the honor of the Vipers? What about what you _just_ said, on the ship?"

Gyong shrugged. "The honor of the Vipers means nothing at the end of the world. When the new world is ushered in, however, I'm sure we will reign supreme and there will be time for honor then. Now, however…" He looked back at her, his expression almost bored as he explained himself. "I said that I see hope and the willingness to fight. That is true. That is why I feel no guilt. The world we know may perish beneath the Fire Lord, but the people will live on and they will eventually learn to assimilate. I don't worry for them, because I know they can take care of themselves. The people of this world are strong. They just don't know that they can be so much stronger under a leader like the Fire Lord, and that they can do so much more without having to rely on the Avatar."

"And when you sell the Avatar to Ozai? What happens then?"

"He'll most likely keep him prisoner. To kill him is to restart the Avatar cycle, you know, and he'll simply be born again. No, the Fire Lord will most likely hold him and make him watch the world he knows burn."

Kiya placed her hand over her heart, digging her nails in against the cloth of her uniform. Her heart was beating so fast that it was physically painful, and the world spun behind her closed eyes. Lies. Everything she had learned as a child, everything he had taught her were lies. Even the uniform she had always so proudly worn was a façade, a costume of a people too concerned with their own greed and lust for power. _Mercenaries_, she thought, clenching her teeth. _We aren't honorable life-enders, we are merely mercenaries who will whore themselves out to the highest bidder_. Disgust rose in her, and she forced the bile down, as she opened her eyes and looked at Gyong.

"You kept this from me for all of this time…" She said, her voice shaking. "What else have you kept from me? What else have you told me that is wrong?"

Gyong shook his head. "There is no time, Kiya. We must find the Avatar before the Prince. I promise to you, I will explain everything after this is over. I swear it." His dark eyes found hers, as he turned to stare at her. "I know you are feeling betrayed, but you must work with us if you want to go home." His eyes flashed, and she heard the threat in his voice. "Kiya, if you're not with us, then you're against us."

Even Onu was staring at her, his baby blue eyes hardened into chips of ice. Kiya let her gaze fall to the ground, as she faced the turmoil that was raging inside of her. _What do I do now?_ Never in her life had she asked that question, and been more unsure of the answer. _What do I do?_ _Do I stick with Gyong and Onu, and do I betray the entire world? What of all of those people-children like me-who will lose their families when they try to stand and fight? Once, I never dreamt of anything but a life following in Gyong's footsteps. But now…_

She bit her lip, looking at her two companions. _Do I stay, and rejoice in the burning future with my piles of money? Or is there something I can do to change how all of this will end?_

_

* * *

_**I'm sorry for the wait! I've been distracted. I don't like this chapter very much, and I don't like what I have written for the next one either, so it'll take me a while to rewrite the next one and post it here. I'll do my best, though!**


	9. I Caught Fire

_"And where two raging fires meet together, they do consume the thing that feeds their fury." -The Taming of the Shrew, by William Shakespeare_

Is there something I can do to change how all of this will end?

The world seemed to halt on its course, as Kiya's green eyes stared ahead, glazed and unseeing. Her mind was whirling, but nothing would come clear to her; it was as if she was staring at the world through a rain-slicked window, the droplets gray and hazy.

"Kiya?" Onu's eyes were pleading. Her eyes flicked over to him, gazing at him with an expression of faint surprise. His baby blue eyes were enormous, and his bottom lip quivered, as if he might cry. _Come with us_, he was asking, without saying a word.

Kiya sighed. "I know what I have to do." Slowly and softly, she lowered her hand from its place against the tree, trailing over the familiar grooves of her belt until her fingers closed around leather.

Gyong and Onu exchanged a knowing smile, their glances triumphant as they held out their hands to welcome Kiya to their side.

_CRACK!_

A noise like thunder echoed throughout the small glen. Gyong's eyes opened wide, and his mouth froze in a shocked gape. Onu emitted a squawk as their master fell to the ground, paralyzed by the Viperstrike whip in Kiya's hands. With a flick of her wrist, she snapped it through the air and it caught Onu on his arm before he could retaliate. He, too, fell to the ground. Gyong's eyes moved towards Kiya, the only part of him that could move. They were burning with rage, and she knew it as well as he did: she was not going to be allowed to go home. Somehow, it wasn't as terrible a thought as she had originally imagined. _Sometimes, _she thought, _sacrifices must be made._

"You might be okay with betraying the entire world," Kiya said, stepping over Gyong's motionless body. "But I'm not." Throwing her hood over her head and face, she took off for the village.

The only buildings in the small village were several houses, and a marketplace. A stone town square was in the center of the village, and it was completely empty except for several Fire Nation soldiers, including Prince Zuko. "Avatar!" He yelled, his kimodo-rhinocerous turning in a circle so he could see all of the buildings. "I know you're here! Give yourself up now, or the entire village will burn!"

Kiya ducked down, her back against one of the houses on the edge of the village. "Shit," She whispered. "Shit, shit, shit. How am I going to do this?"

"You're not," A voice said from her left. "At least, not alone."

Kiya jumped, shifting quickly into a battle stance, reaching for both of her daggers. Crouched beside her was a thin woman with black hair pulled back away from her face into a long, high ponytail. She smiled, her brown eyes shining with humor. On one arm she wore a massive leather glove, and a hulking raven-eagle sat there, its talons digging into the thick leather.

"Ari!" Kiya whispered, relief flooding her as she eased back against the building. "You have no idea how glad I am to see you." She glanced at the steely-eyed raven-eagle. "You too, Sora."

The raven-eagle clicked its beak together, bowing its head. Ari scooted closer to Kiya, ducking her head so that the two of them could hear each other. "Would you like to tell me what exactly is happening here?"

Kiya sighed, tucking a strand of her claret hair back into her hood. "It's hard to explain all of it now, but the simple version is that I've gone rogue against both Gyong and Zuko, and I need your help in getting the Avatar away from here."

Ari stared, eyes wide. "You've gone rogue against _Gyong_?"

"I know it's practically a death sentence, but he's lied, Ari. Everything about the Vipers has been a lie."

Ari nodded. "I always knew something was off. I would never have dared to say anything, knowing Gyong's infamous fury, but I always knew."

"How did you eventually leave?"

Ari smiled bitterly. "It actually wasn't by choice. On my last assignment, I was injured, badly enough so that I was off my feet for a very long time. I've never been the same since then. I can't move like I used to. Eventually, Gyong came to me and he just told me to go. I retired, and that was the end of it."

"And now?"

"And now I am in love with a good man, and Sora and I are very happy. Once I get married, we'll be moving far away, in the hopes of escaping this terrible war. This is the last time I will ever do any work for the Vipers."

Kiya grinned. "Then let's go out with a bang, shall we?"

Seconds after the words left her mouth, there was a loud explosion from the village square. The two of them snuck over to the side of the building, and Kiya inched her way up, trying to see what was happening. Zuko was there, and he was fighting with a smaller boy clad in orange and yellow, with a blue arrow tattoo on his bald head. The stone ground beneath their feet was cracked, and chunks of rock lay all over the place. The boy was foiling each of Zuko's attempts at fire-bending, by throwing back currents of air.

"The Avatar," Ari whispered, her voice hushed and reverent. "You can't let the Prince take him."

"I know," Kiya whispered back, her eyes on Zuko. "But there is only one way I can see all of this ending." She glanced back at Ari, mustering a smile for her old friend. "Wish me luck."

Not waiting to hear Ari's reply, Kiya rose to her feet and dodged between two houses, running as fast as she could to the town square.

* * *

Katara closed her eyes, feeling the water turn and toil in her hands, circling around her fingers. With one swift motion, she whipped a stream of water through the air, smacking it into two of the Fire Nation guards in front of her. They froze, caught in her icy grip, their beady eyes confused and only able to blink. She rushed past them, following her brother as they sought to aid their friend.

"Aang!" She cried, dodging as Sokka sent his boomerang spinning through the air. It hit a Fire Nation soldier in the head, and he fell off of his komodo-rhinoceros, knocked unconscious by the blow.

The young air-bender turned at the sound of her voice, but he didn't have time to speak, as Prince Zuko kicked at him in a blaze of fire. Katara bit her lip, her blue eyes wide and worried for her young friend. She flicked a glance over towards her brother, opening her mouth to speak, to ask him to help, when-

She frowned, squinting. A tall, thin person was running across the courtyard. From the build of the body, Katara had to assume it was a female. Sokka paused as well, his mouth dropping open as the girl ran past them, headed straight for Zuko and Aang. The two siblings of the Water Tribe exchanged a confused glance before following.

The girl stopped short, throwing back the purple hood that covered her head and face. The girl was obviously older than Katara, around Sokka's age, with long scarlet hair that cascaded in a loose braid to the middle of her back. Her green eyes were narrowed and fierce, and Katara actually shivered at the look inside of them; a mixture of fury and fear. In a flash, the girl pulled out two knives from sheaths at her hips, holding them firmly in her hands. She moved purposefully towards the battling Avatar and the Fire Prince, both of whom were too engaged to notice her creeping up behind them.

Katara gasped, throwing a hand up to her mouth when the realization dawned upon her. A Black Viper. She had heard tales of their exploits (Sokka had tried his hardest to scare her with them for years) but she had never quite believed them to be real. Until now.

Sokka was standing beside Katara, and was equally, if not more, shocked. His mouth was gaping and his eyes were enormous. He pointed with one hand, before turning to Katara. "Did you know girls could be Black Vipers?" He squeaked, his voice breaking. "I didn't know girls could be Black Vipers. Especially pretty ones…"

Katara managed to roll her eyes. At that moment, however, the assassin dropped down to a crouch and rolled silently behind Aang. Katara's heart seemed to freeze, and she took a hopeless step forward, reaching out for the young boy that she couldn't possibly reach in time. "Aang!" She shouted. "No!"

The boy turned at the last second, as the Black Viper darted forward. Katara squeezed her eyes shut, holding her breath, as the entire village seemed to fall eerily, deadly silent. "No," She whispered to herself, unable to open her eyes, unwilling to see her dead friend on the ground. "No, no, no, no-"

Sokka spoke from somewhere to her right. "Katara, look!" His voice was hushed and amazed, and slowly, ever so slowly, she allowed her eyes to open once more.

Aang was fine. He was on the ground, panting and sweating, one hand still held up to poorly shield a blow that never came. The Black Viper was also still there, both of her daggers raised. Both of them were at the throat of Prince Zuko, crossed in an X that would slice his neck to ribbons if he dared move. He swallowed nervously, his entire body rigid. The three of them stayed that way, each one involved either too scared or too determined to move. Aang's eyes kept flicking back and forth, between the assassin and the Prince.

After a drawn-out, intense moment of locked eyes, the girl spoke.

"You have to let him go."

* * *

Zuko managed to laugh darkly, despite the knives at his throat. "I'm not even going to bother asking how you got out, and why you even care so much." Suddenly, his arms went around her, pulling her close against him. He didn't even wince as the knives cut him shallowly and he began to bleed. "Do it," He snarled, his arms locked around her back. "Finish it already. _Do what you came to do_."

Kiya shook her head. "I didn't come here to kill you, Zuko. There's too much to explain right now, but please, you have to let the Avatar go. He and his friends _must_ escape, now."

"No." His voice was ragged. "I've come too far to let him slip through my fingers again. I can't." His expression turned nasty, and she could hear the recalcitrance in his voice. "I won't."

"Then you leave me no choice." Her hands moved like lightning, and she gripped his shoulders around the hilts of her daggers. She shoved him down, bringing her knee up hard into his abdomen. He groaned and fell to the ground, his arms wrapped around his stomach. "I'm sorry," She whispered, before turning to the small boy who was still crouched on the ground. His eyes widened, and he tried to scramble backwards away from her, but she held up her hands in a position of surrender.

"Hey, it's okay. I'm not going to hurt you. I'm here to help you." The look the boy gave her was dubious, and as a show of faith, she slid her daggers back into their sheaths. She held up her empty hands, wiggling her fingers. "There, see? I promise I'm not going to hurt you. What's your name?"

"Aang."

"Nice name." She held out one hand to help him up. "Come on, we need to get you and your friends out of here."

"Who _are_ you?" He asked, brushing the dirt off of his back. He clenched his staff tightly, his gray eyes enraptured.

Kiya shrugged. "Nobody of any real consequence. All I know is that some people-bad people-are going to come looking for you, and you have to get to safety." She took a deep breath, knowing how silly her next words were going to sound. "The fate of the world depends on it."

Aang's face grew solemn. "I know. Maybe we can-" His seriousness turned to horror. "Look out!"

She ducked just in time. The fireball passed over her head, and Aang batted it away with a blast of air from his staff. Kiya stood, moving so that she was standing in the way of the younger boy, blocking him from Zuko, who had struggled to his feet more quickly than she had hoped.

"Zuko, you don't have to do this!" Kiya pleaded, pulling her daggers out again. "Don't you get it? This is bigger than you and your honor. This is even bigger than the Fire Nation. The entire world is in jeopardy, and we need the Avatar to make things right again!"

"The Avatar," Zuko spat, his breathing labored. "We don't need him. We haven't needed him in a long time. He is the only one standing in the way of what I need to do. Just hand him over!"

Kiya shook her head. "No, he's not."

"He's not what?"

"He's not the only one standing in your way." She assumed her fighting stance, shielding the Avatar. "If you want him, you're going to have to go through me."

"And me!" One of Aang's friends, the water-bender, rushed over to take their place beside them. She smiled shyly at Kiya, raising water from the broken well that lay at the edge of the village.

There was a loud sigh from behind them. "Fine. I guess you'll have to go through me, too." The older boy, clearly the water-bender's older brother, strolled over, pulling a boomerang from a sheath on his back. "Though I'm definitely not looking forward to that."

"You're overmatched, Zuko," Kiya said, glaring. "Just give up. Go back to your ship, and let us leave."

"No!"

"Then I guess we have no choice." Kiya leapt forward, her newfound friends at her heels.

Prince Zuko raised his arms, creating two daggers of fire. He made the same stance that Kiya had taught him, but this time they weren't sparring. The look that he gave her, the one that spoke volumes of violence, told her that he was not going to hold back at all. Rushing forward, she met him head on. Her daggers passed through his fire, but she was still able to block his advancing moves by crossing her blades in front of her. The two of them whirled through the air, a tornado of spinning purple, and dancing flames. Every thrust he made, she blocked, and every step he made forward, she would knock back.

In the next second, she saw her mistake before it even happened, and yet there was nothing she could do to stop it. He spun and kicked her, his booted foot connecting with her stomach, impacting against the bottom of her ribs. She felt one crack; she inhaled sharply, a stabbing breath of pain. Her stance wobbled, and she tried to steady her footing, but her right foot tipped over the edge of a hole in the village square, a crack in the stone, and she fell backwards, her arms wind-milling. Her body slammed into the broken ground, thumping the air out of her; her head pounded against the stone, and a gong-like ringing echoed through her entire body. Her eyes darkened with pain, and she saw stars.

A shadow fell over the sun, and dimly, she could see Zuko standing above her. She lay still, her chest aching and her breaths short and spasmodic. Her daggers had fallen, and they lay too far away for her to reach. There was something warm and sticky at the back of her head, and she wanted to feel it, to see how bad the wound was, but her muscles were still shocked from impact, and she remained frozen.

Zuko opened his mouth, like maybe he wanted to say something, about how he had won, or about how sorry he was. He didn't. Instead, he closed his mouth again, and shook his head.

Kiya frowned. There was something else in the sky, something small against the bright sky, something that was growing larger with each passing second. _I'm hallucinating_, she thought, sure that she had hit her head much harder than she had imagined. But the object that was spinning through the air, it was shining, coming straight for Zuko. It wasn't until it made impact with the Prince that she realized what it was.

Zuko cursed, bent double as he slapped a hand to his head. The boomerang cut a swath through the air, and zipped back into the Water Tribe boy's hand. He grinned triumphantly, and Zuko straightened, moving away to pursue him. The Avatar followed, the two of them effectively distracting the Prince as the water-bender girl rushed forward, dropping to her knees beside Kiya.

"Where does it hurt?" She asked, her brow furrowed.

Limply, Kiya raised one hand and pointed to her ribs. The girl's hands were shining with water; they hovered over her, glowing from blue to white. Kiya gasped, as she felt tingles race through her body. When she sat up, the water-bender healed her head as well, cleaning the blood away with a warm stream of water. The ache in Kiya's head receded, until she could sit up on her own.

"My name's Katara," The water-bender said, smiling gently. "You should be okay now."

Unsteadily, Kiya rose to her feet. She still felt weak, and her body was throbbing from the fall, but she was otherwise unhurt. She gazed at Katara with wide eyes. "You have a real gift. I've never met a water-bender like you."

Katara blushed with gratitude. "Why are you helping us?"

There was an explosion to their right, and both girls instinctively shielded their faces as rocks and debris went flying towards them. Katara's brother was running for a giant, furry creature-the Avatar's bison, no doubt-while Aang and Zuko were battling in the ruins of the building they had just destroyed.

Kiya shook her head. "I don't have much time to explain. I'm a Black Viper, but my master has plans to kidnap the Avatar. I've detained him for now, but if you don't leave soon, he'll arrive, and he'll stop at nothing to capture Aang. You have to leave!"

Katara nodded fervently. "Of course. But what about Zuko?"

"Don't worry about him." Kiya raised her face to the sky, hoping her distraction was in place. "I have it covered."

At that moment, a great shriek echoed around the village square, and a shadow passed over them. Katara gasped. Sora was diving out of the sky, headed straight for Zuko. The enormous raven-eagle slammed into him, beating his head with its wings and screeching as it tore at him with its talons. Kiya looked over her shoulder, waving to Ari, who was seated on a rooftop down the road. She raised one hand in a reply, before slipping off of the building and out of sight.

"Katara, come on!"

Kiya spun back around to see Aang's bison waiting at the edge of the square. The Avatar and his boomerang friend were already on top of it, waiting to go, while Zuko was still struggling against the giant bird attacking him.

Katara glanced towards them once. Before the assassin had time to react, the Katara threw her arms around her and hugged her quickly. "Thank you," She whispered, letting go just as rapidly. "We'll never forget this!"

"Go!" Kiya yelled, even as the girl ran back across the square and jumped onto the bison. The gargantuan creature leapt into the air, flying across the trees and up into the sky. It eventually vanished, dipping from sight beyond the horizon. Kiya waved, only dropping her hand when she could no longer see the Avatar and his friends.

She had done it. Disbelief seemed to reverberate throughout her entire body, and she stood still, unsure of what to do next. She was quivering with exhaustion, and her body hurt all over, but she was alive, and the Avatar had escaped. Somehow, that knowledge surpassed all other feelings, and the one thing she was left with was relief. Just relief.

A dark cloud passed overhead, and Kiya raised her eyes to see Sora, flying away to be with Ari once more. She waved, and the raven-eagle screeched, soaring over the broken village, and over the outlying woods. It seemed like all her friends had gone, and she was alone to pick up the pieces of a village that had survived through such trouble.

Except she wasn't alone. Hesitantly, villagers were starting to come out of their wrecked homes, their faces pale and fearful. Now that the dust had settled, and all was silent once more, they were surfacing under the pretense of safety, hoping that their living nightmare had ceased.

"It's okay," Kiya called, picking up her daggers from where they lay forgotten on the stone ground, sliding them back into their sheaths. "You can all come out now! The danger has passed."

"Has it?" Zuko was suddenly at her left, and she turned in time for him to grab her by the throat, his fingers curling around her neck. "How could you have done that, after everything I've gone through? Why did you let the Avatar go? What was the point of the past months if you were only going to let him _escape_?" His words were a hiss between his teeth.

His grip tightened, and she choked and hacked, trying to breathe. Her fingers scratched desperately at his, trying to pry his hand off of her. Heat rose to her face, cut off from her neck as he squeezed like a python, draining the life out of her. Lights flared and popped before her eyes, as a flickering darkness bordered her vision. She opened her mouth, but her words were cut off, leaving her gasping like a fish out of water.

Looking her right in the eyes, Zuko growled, "I should kill you!"

* * *

**Cliffhanger! Don't worry, though. Recently I've been very inspired, and I managed to not only finish this chapter, but also the next one and half of the last one after that. Because it's near the end, I'll update more frequently within the next week. Hopefully. Also, I suck at physical fight scenes. Just so you know. **

**Oh, and, in case you were wondering, Kiya doesn't know Sokka's name so he's referred to as the Water Tribe boy, or the boomerang guy, or Katara's brother. She won't learn his name until later. I hope no one was too confused by that. _I_ do, in fact, know his name. **

**By the way, thanks to everyone who has taken the time to review! I appreciate it.**


	10. I'm Burning For You

"_We are no more than candles burning in the wind." -Japanese Proverb_

"I should kill you for what you've done!"

Her vision was fading, growing weak, until the Prince in front of her was only a blur. Just when Kiya thought she might fall unconscious, all of her breath spent, he loosed his fingers. She shoved his hand away, taking several steps before falling to her knees. She reached for her throat, massaging at her bruised windpipe, coughing as she gulped in lungfuls of fresh air.

"No," He said, ignoring her as she crouched on the ground, coughing and spitting. "I should kill you, but I can't. I don't know why, and it's _infuriating_, but I can't kill you." He sighed, his fingers trailing lightly over a lengthy cut on his right cheek. "I'm not even that mad. You know what I feel, more than anything?"

Her only answer was a glare, as she heaved, her arms wrapped around her stomach.

"I feel… a kind of a relief. Like now things are the way they're supposed to be, with me chasing after the Avatar again. I'm not sure if I'm even meant to catch him. I just…" He sighed. "I feel so tired. I'm so tired of constantly being on the move, of trying to catch him. Maybe it's best if I just let him go for a while."

Shakily, Kiya rose to her feet. "And you're only coming to this conclusion _now_?" She scowled at him, rubbing at her throat. Already, a ring of pale purple bruises was forming. "You couldn't have come to it _before_ you tried to kill me?"

Zuko shrugged. "Sorry. I got caught up in the moment. Besides, this makes us even. You've tried to kill me several times now."

Kiya stared at him, her eyes practically falling out of her skull. "_'I got caught up in the moment'? That's_ your excuse?"

He frowned, taking a step towards her. "I said I was sorry."

She danced away, out of his reach. "Don't touch me! I'm mad at you."

"You're mad? _I'm_ the one who should be mad! _You_ let the Avatar escape!"

"_You tried to kill me!_"

"You tried to kill me, too! Or did you forget that you were an assassin, sent to kill me?"

"Yes," A deep voice drawled. "Did you forget that?"

Kiya and Zuko slowly turned, their expressions matched in horror. Gyong and Onu were standing at the edge of the village, clearly recovered from their paralysis. Kiya gasped, unwillingly faltering and leaning against Zuko. He slipped an arm around her shoulder, steadying her and holding her up. Gyong's eyes narrowed at the sight of them.

"Clearly, you did forget," He growled, striding forwards with his thumbs hooked on his belt. "You have let your feelings for this boy cloud your mind, and you have lost sight of the objective." Gyong paused, shaking his head. "I am so sorry for what we have done to you. Clearly all of your time spent aboard his ship has warped your mind. You're unwell. Come back with us, and I promise, we will take care of you."

Kiya shook her head, unable to believe what she was hearing. Gyong thought she was _sick_? He thought that Zuko had brainwashed her, into helping the Avatar, and into staying by him? Was he mad?

"There's nothing wrong with me." She leaned closer against Zuko. "I'm not going back with you. Don't you see, Gyong? I've already won. The Avatar has escaped. Your plan has been foiled."

He only smiled. "There is always tomorrow."

"Why?" She shouted, pulling herself away from Zuko, and stomping towards her master. "Why are you doing this?"

"Kiya, I've already told you. The-"

"I _know_. But it really doesn't matter why, does it? All I know is that you need to be stopped." Kiya planted her feet, and pulled her daggers out of their sheaths, wrapping her fingers around the hilts tightly. Her heartbeat pounded in the pads of her fingers, noise rushing in her ears.

Gyong laughed out loud. "Are you challenging _me_? I taught you everything you know. Do you really think that you can beat me?"

No, she didn't. But she could die trying. Gyong had lied to her, and there was no way she was going to let him lie to the rest of the world. She was not going to let him orphan another person, just for money's sake. Just because the world seemed to face unbeatable odds.

"And what of the Fire Prince?" Gyong asked, raising one dark eyebrow. "Where do his loyalties lie?"

"You tried to have me killed." Zuko glared, raising his fists. "I think I'll stay where I am."

"With the one I sent to kill you?" Gyong laughed again, shrugging. "Suit yourself. Come, Onu. We fight."

Onu gaped, blinking several times. "But… you said…"

"I know what I said. And now I'm telling you that we're going to fight them."

Onu shook his head once, his face paling. He refused to look Kiya in the eyes, horror-stricken. She could see the battle raging inside of him, it was etched plainly on his face as his mouth twisted and his blue eyes filled with tears. "I can't." He finally said, turning and running. He dashed into the trees, disappearing into the woods.

Gyong shook his head, his face disgusted. "Pathetic boy. He needn't have run. This will be over quickly." He tore off his green tunic, throwing it to the ground. He planted his feet against the stone ground, breathing deeply through his nose as he swung his arms out in front of him, his taut palms facing the sky.

What few villagers who had surfaced from their homes scurried back inside, slamming their doors as they recognized another fight to begin. Kiya couldn't blame them. What was about to happen would surely end in bloodshed, for she was certain that there was no way she could beat Gyong.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Gyong called.

"Of co-" Kiya threw herself out of the way as he sent a chunk of stone flying towards her. Muttering darkly, she pulled herself to her feet, only to have to dodge out of the way once more. She rolled out of the way of another one, spinning onto her back as a particularly jagged one zipped overhead, crashing into a building on the other side of the square.

"What's the matter, Kiya?" Gyong taunted, his grin wide and mocking. "Can't keep your footing? Is it too _rocky_ for you?"

Snarling, she leapt back to her feet, ducking down low as a boulder passed over her. She met Zuko's gaze, and the two of them ran forward, each brandishing daggers: hers of blade, and his of fire. Gyong slammed his right foot onto the ground, kicking huge boulders of rock and stone up, sending them spinning through the air with his fists at the two of them, his expression growing more and more furious as the two of them dodged every one.

With a great roar, he clapped both of his hands together, and four enormous stone panels, pulled up from the square, encased Kiya. She hissed as the rock pinched her skin, imprisoning her completely so that only her head was visible. "Zuko!" She yelled, as Gyong shifted his feet. "Watch out!"

The Prince shot a fireball at Gyong, and it grazed the side of his head, burning his cheek. The earth-bender howled, before kicking a pillar into the air, knocking Zuko off of his feet. As soon as Zuko hit the ground, it opened up and swallowed him.

Kiya's eyes widened, even as the rock surrounding her fell back into the earth. "No!"

"Now it's just you and me." Gyong wiped a trickle of blood out of his eye, his hand scraping over the burn that had his skin peeling. "As it should have been all along."

"Let him go!"

"Or what?" Suddenly, Gyong's brown eyes turned black and his long brown hair whirled around his face. "Have you forgotten who you are, Kiya? _What_ you are? After all of the things I've done for you… Have you forgotten that I saved your life all those years ago? I raised you like my own child, and I did not have to. You owe me _everything_!"

"No." She shook her head, dropping her daggers to the ground. "You raised me as a murderer. I was _never_ a child. You raised me as a perfect little copy who would one day inherit your legacy, but the empire you built was all lies, Gyong. No more. I owe you nothing."

"What are you doing?" He asked, frowning. "Pick up your weapons."

Kiya shook her head, dropping to her knees. "No. I surrender. I will not live in debt to you. Take the life back that you saved. Take it, and be damned." She raised her arms, placing her hands on the back of her head.

"Foolish, impudent-"

Her right arm swung down in an arc, to the coil at her back. She yanked it off her belt and curved it around, the lashes unrolling and writhing like snakes. The Viperstrike hissed through the air, two of the three metal heads slicing through Gyong's arm. With a strangled yell, he fell to his knees, his body fighting the paralyzing poison.

"Release Zuko. Now!" She shouted, yanking the Viperstrike back through the air.

"No…" Gyong's teeth were clenched, and he was twitching.

"Let… him… go!" CRACK! The whip shot through the air, all three heads slicing into Gyong this time, opening wounds on his chest and arms. Blood dripped down onto the ground, seeping from the open lacerations.

Jerking his chin just before he fell, the ground opened again and shot Zuko out. Gyong fell backwards, his legs splayed out at an awkward angle as if he were a corpse, his hands trapped behind his back. Zuko rolled onto his side, gasping and shaking. Kiya dropped the Viperstrike and ran to him, falling to her knees. "Are you okay?" She brushed his hair off of his face. He nodded, and she helped him up. The two of them, injured and beaten, stood supporting each other for a moment, before examining the earth-bender.

He was already squirming, and had propped himself up against a rock. His hands and legs were still useless, but he seemed to be recovering much faster than before, despite how many times she had hit him.

"How?" Kiya asked, frowning incredulously, as Zuko picked up her daggers and handed them to her.

Gyong narrowed his eyes. "Stupid girl. The more hits I take, the more my body builds up an immunity."

Kiya ignored the barb, pacing in front of him. She only had a few moments, and there was something that she needed to know. "You once told me that your hatred for the Fire Nation was unrivaled, because of what they had done to your land and your people. Because of what they had done to both Onu and I." She stared hard at him, anger bleeding into her words. Anger and hurt. "But that wasn't true, was it?"

Gyong sighed, fruitlessly trying to move his hands from behind his back. It didn't work. "Kiya, try and understand. The Fire Lord cannot be beaten. Not by the Avatar, who is only an inexperienced twelve-year-old boy, and not by all the armies in this world. He is too powerful. I have learned over the years that it is better to fall in with him, than to rise against him."

Her voice shook when she spoke again, and she kept her fists clenched at her sides, within reach of her daggers. "You didn't answer my question."

"No, it's not true. Or, at least, not for you. Fire Nation soldiers did kill Onu's parents, but he accepted the changing ways of the world, or so I had thought. You, on the other hand…" Gyong shook his head. "You were but a tiny child when I found you. You couldn't have been more than two years old. I had been passing through the Earth Kingdom village where you were, with some other refugees. The place had been ransacked, and there was one building still standing, but it was on fire. The others had an idea to loot the place and move on. Something drew me to that tiny house, though, and I made my way over to it."

"I couldn't explain my weird fascination with it. Instead, I turned away, to return to my people. That was when I heard you crying. I knew then that I had to save you. I kicked in the door, and flames rushed out at me. Covering myself with earth, I ran inside, searching for you. You were on the ground, in a small bed lined with furs, wrapped in a green blanket. It had your name embroidered on it. I quickly scooped you up, and ran from the house. It collapsed only seconds after I made it through the door."

"What about my parents? You told me they were murdered by the Fire Nation."

"And they were." Gyong's brown eyes softened, and his words were quieter as he gasped for air, his injuries paining him. "But Kiya… you must understand, I kept this from you in the hopes that would grow up to be a better person. I kept this from you for your own good."

"Kept what from me?" Every breath she took was laced with ice, her lungs aching from the cold she felt. Something wasn't right.

"Your entire village was killed for a reason. There was one other survivor besides you, a woman who was babbling nonsense. She eventually died afterwards from burns, but before she did, she said that they had come for Rika and Xano, your parents. They had come for revenge, she said, and had slaughtered everyone. 'Nobody leaves', she kept saying, 'They were making a statement. Nobody leaves.'

Kiya licked her lips, tasting blood. "What did she mean?"

Gyong sighed through his nose. "Your entire village was killed by the Fire Nation because your parents _were_ Fire Nation."

She would've laughed. She would have smiled, and cracked up, knowing that Gyong was joking. A cruel joke, sure, but a joke that was untrue nonetheless. He was only trying to make the moments pass, so he could free himself and kill her. Surely, that was the reason for his words. After all, there was no way. She had hated the Fire Nation her entire life. There was no possible way that she hated her own blood, her own nationality. She was from the Earth Kingdom. She had been wrapped in a _green_ blanket, in an Earth Kingdom village. He'd said so himself. She would have imagined it was all a frightful dream, if Zuko hadn't said anything at all.

"Xano…" He murmured, tapping his chin with one forefinger in thought. "Xano. Where do I know that name?" His good eye widened. "Yes! Xano was one of my grandfather's generals! He disappeared around the time that I was born. People used to talk about him sometimes…" He slide a sideways glance at Kiya. "But it can't be the same one, can it?"

Gyong nodded. "The very same. I saw him in the burning house. He was dead already, as was Rika, his wife, and so there was nothing I could do for them. I recognized his face from the wanted posters all over the Earth Kingdom cities. He had become an expatriate, running away with his pregnant wife to the Earth Kingdom, where they settled and tried to forget that they were Fire Nation. Nobody leaves, Kiya. Nobody leaves the Fire Nation." He shrugged. "They were found no more than two years later, and they were punished."

"I can't believe it," Zuko said, his voice hushed. "Xano was your _father_. Kiya… do you know what this means?"

Somewhere it registered that he was talking to her, but she couldn't reply. Her jaw was locked, her teeth melded together. A lump formed in her throat, a disbelief that made her choke. It couldn't be true. It couldn't be. They were lying. They had to be... right?

Instead of Zuko, it was Gyong who said, "You're Fire Nation."

"YOU!" Furious, she spun towards Gyong, her purple cape swirling out behind her. "You kept this from me! All of the years, you _lied_ to me. Who I am…" She emitted a dry sob, her body shaking. "I don't know myself anymore. I'm not the person you said I was. I'm not the person _I _said I was." _Does anyone know me? Or am I simply nobody now, a remnant of a betrayal long since past? An orphaned child of the Fire Nation, who knows she doesn't belong?_

_You're Fire Nation. Fire Nation Fire Nation_ _Fire Nation Fire Nation Fire Nation Fire Nation Fire Nation Fire Nation Fire Nation Fire Nation Fire Nation Fire Nation. _The words echoed in her head, blending and repeating until they had no meaning, and until her heart was numb, but there it was still: the knowledge that she was what she had always feared. Her nightmare, the one with her seeing herself in the mirror, a part of the Fire Nation… it had come true.

"How could you?" She choked out. "How?"

Gyong smiled grimly, pulling forth one hand from behind his back. "It was easy. I just-"

Her arm moved like a scythe, to her side and then back up through the air. Gyong's eyes widened as the dagger whistled through the air before piercing his chest. It sank into his skin with a sickening squelching sound. Blood filled between his teeth, and the smile died on his lips. His eyes faded, the color dulling to a matte brown as his life evaporated. His head fell slowly forward, his chin against his chest. A crimson flower blossomed on his chest in a circle around the dagger, spilling down his skin in flowing rivulets. Wordlessly, they watched as the last breath left him, and he died right there in the Earth Kingdom village.

Silence followed. An eerie, weighty thing that floated around in the empty corners of the village, coming to life like shadows. The afternoon sun was shining on them, but all Kiya felt was a chilling calm, a clarity that washed over her sense and made her feel hollowed and dark. Somewhere behind her, a door opened. There were murmured voices as more and more people found it was once again safe to leave their homes. Someone gasped, no doubt pointing at the dead man. A bird chirped, singing cheerfully from its perch. A warm breeze sailed through the village, dipping down low over Kiya and out to the woods, where it whispered through the shadowy trees.

The world kept turning. A blow had been delivered to her, a stunning hit that would continue to leave her bruised for days, maybe even months to come. A weight had been dropped on her life, and she wasn't even sure who she was anymore. And yet, the world kept spinning, as if nothing had even happened. As if her life didn't feel like it was about to end. As if she actually knew what she was going to do next.

A hand was on her shoulder, a concerned body behind her. "Kiya?"

They were alone. The villagers were all talking amongst themselves, wondering what had happened. Wondering who the exhausted, injured teenagers were. They were in their own little world, confused and entertained by all of the excitement. Kiya felt like she and Zuko were in an entirely different dimension, parallel to that of the villagers, where there was no color, and there was no sound besides the two of them breathing and their words. The Fire Nation soldiers of Zuko's crew were gone, the komodo-rhinoceros' were gone, and it was just the two of them, lost in their own little world made up of grays.

"I need…" She shook her head, the words falling from her focus.

"What do you need?" It was Zuko, and his voice was soft. So soft. Like a dream that she could fall into. One that wasn't a memory of her parents death, for she knew now that was exactly what she had been seeing and hearing when she slept for months. Somehow, subconsciously, she had known all along.

_You're Fire Nation_.

She didn't want to look at him. She didn't want to see the pity that she already knew was written on his face. She shook his hand off. "I need my knife…" She mumbled. She took two steps to retrieve Death-Omen. Took two steps and fell, collapsing as she fainted.

The last thing she felt before slipping away was someone catching her just before she hit the ground.

* * *

Zuko sighed through his nose, leaning against the wall of his quarters. He hurt all over, and it was hard for him to put weight on his left leg. There was a cut on his right cheek, and he could feel the skin stretched taut where the blood had dried there. When he raised one hand to brush his hair out of his face, he saw it tremble with exhaustion.

His Uncle had collected them, just after Kiya had fainted. He had wanted to know what had happened, as there was no Avatar in sight and a handful of unconscious Fire Nation soldiers, plus a dead earth-bender. But Zuko didn't have an answer for him. Instead, they had all returned to the ship, silent and tense.

He hadn't really known what had happened. He still didn't. All he knew was that Kiya had been forced to kill the very man who had raised her, after finding out not only that he had betrayed her, but that he had lied to her about her heritage. _She was Fire Nation_. No wonder he had seen so much of Irada in her. What he had originally thought was true now, there was no doubt about it. He would need to send another letter to her, and let her know that he had found her twin sister… He sighed again, shaking his head. Not now. Now, he had to help Kiya, however he could.

She still hadn't come around. She was lying on her sleeping pad, motionless. She barely even seemed to be alive, her breaths tiny and shallow. He stepped forward, wincing as his leg twinged. "Kiya?"

She didn't say anything, didn't move to give any indication that she'd heard him. She just lay there, her eyes closed in what appeared to be sleep. Warnings went off in Zuko's head. _She should have woken up by now. She should be awake, her eyes open. What's wrong with her?_

Hobbling across the room, he managed to sit down beside her, just on the edge of her sleeping pad. He leaned over her, examining her face. She was deathly pale, her skin almost gray. Her lips even seemed blue, and yet, she was breathing. So why did she look like she was dead? He stroked her cheek with two fingers, before pulling his hand back suddenly like he'd been bitten. Her skin was ice cold.

Worried now, he grabbed her shoulders and shook her gently. "Kiya, wake up. Kiya!"

She groaned, opening her eyes the tiniest fraction. He gasped. She was staring past him, her eyes dull and unseeing. They had changed from their usual vivid emerald to a glazed gray, and he knew by the pallor of her skin exactly what was going on. She'd gone into the Blank State. She'd descended inside of herself, to escape the reality of what was happening beyond the shell of her body. That was not good, Zuko knew. She could get lost inside of herself, get too comfortable in that husk where nothing could hurt her. She could give up, and fall into a deep coma where no one, not even the most experienced healer, would be able to reach her.

_What can I do?_ He thought, panicking. He'd only ever heard things about the Blank State, not particulars on what to do when someone goes in, or how to get them out.

"Kiya, don't do this." He pulled her up, raising her, cradling her as he tried to get her to sit up. "Come on, I need you to stay with me." He grabbed her hands; they were frozen. He held her hands tightly, rubbing along her arms and cupping her face to try and warm her.

She said nothing, her eyes still frozen in that unseeing stare. Not knowing what else to do, he warmed his lips until they tingled with heat, before pressing them against hers in a soft kiss. Her mouth opened for him in a rush of cold breath, and he breathed his warmth into her, desperately trying to reach her. When she pushed away from him suddenly, gasping for breath, he knew he had done it. Relief washed through his body, as her eyes darkened again to their natural green, and her cheeks went pink. She stared at him, at the hands he had around her wrists, and he watched with horror as her eyes filled not with tears, but with a numbing emptiness that chilled him to his core.

"They lied to me," She whispered, her voice hollowed with despair. "They lied to me, and they betrayed me."

"Yes," He said, nodding. "But you got your vengeance for your parents. You paid the debt."

Her words were a pain-filled gasp. "Then why don't I feel any better? Why do I feel jagged, like I've just been cut open?" Her eyes suddenly faded to that colorless wasteland again, and Zuko reacted. He tightened his hold on her already bruised wrists and pulled her against him.

"You have to stay with me." How could he explain in that moment how much he needed her? How could he explain how much he had come to depend on her presence, on her humor and the way she enjoyed baiting him? And how could he tell her that he knew as well as she did that she needed him too? How could he convey the feelings that he were twisting inside of him like a dragon, too warm to be kept inside?

"Why?" Her voice was haunting, like she was fading fast into some dark twilight realm where he wouldn't be able to follow her. "Why even bother? Inside I don't feel this. Inside I can sleep. Inside I won't dream."

"You can't do that to yourself. You have to feel."

"Why?" She asked again, her eyes locked on him. "This pain… I've never felt anything like it. I don't want to take it. It would just be better if I left…" Her eyes fluttered closed.

He had felt pain like that. He had felt all of his father's scorn and disapproval along the edge of his face. He had felt the pain of his mother's abandonment, time and time again in nightmares that seemed to never end. He had gone through pain like that-was still going through pain like that-and yet, he was alive. It reminded him that there was still life in him yet, and that was something that they could never take away from him.

"No!" He shouted, shaking her hard enough so that she opened her eyes wide again. "You can't do that. There are good things in this world, good things worth staying for. This is just another moment, another heartbreak, but it will pass. There are better feelings than this. Trust me."

"Like what?" Her voice was ashen. Her sleepy, clouded eyes remained fixed on his face, and he found he couldn't look away, as they fought a desperate dance, green mingling with gray. She was trying so hard, but if he didn't do something soon, he'd lose her.

And he found that was something he didn't want.

"Like…" He paused. Clarity made his eyes open wide, as he realized what he had to do. There was only one way to pull her out of her agony, and somehow, he'd known it all along. He relaxed against her, dipping to kiss her, _really_ kiss her. "Like this."

It was soft, a feather light touch that may have not even existed. Warming himself all over, he let go of her wrists and brushed his fingers through her tangled, loosed hair. The strands clung to his fingers, crackling with electricity. Her arms went around his waist, and she sighed, melting against him. He kissed her again, at the corner of her mouth. He kissed her jaw, her cheek, her forehead, her closed eyes, before trailing back down to her mouth. Hugging her against him and enveloping her in his heat, he kissed her cold mouth until it no longer held that icy chill, and until he was sure her eyes were green.

"Zuko," She murmured, her voice a tender sigh.

After that, she fell promptly asleep, her breathing loud and her cheeks pink. He too fell into an exhausted sleep with her in his arms, his heart tangled up with hers.

* * *

**:O  
One more chapter left after this! **


	11. Epilogue

_"Both within the family and without, our sisters hold up our mirrors: our images of who we are and of who we can dare to be." -Elizabeth Fishel_

For once, Kiya didn't dream. She didn't smell the acrid scent of smoke, she didn't hear strange voices, and she didn't taste some familiar memory on the back of her tongue. There was just silence in a white room, a sanctuary for her to find solace in as her body healed. When she awoke, it was with the blissful quiet of someone who had known twelve hours of serenity. Her mind felt fuzzy, and she was sore in more places than she could count, but she had lived, and for once, she hadn't dreamt.

Because she no longer needed to. She knew exactly what had happened to her family, and she knew who she really was. _Fire Nation_. She expected there to be some sort of significant change, one that came from finally knowing who she had been, and who she would always be. Instead, she felt the same as she had the previous day, only she hurt more, inside and out.

It was still hard to believe what had happened. So many questions boiled to the surface, dancing on the edge of some fine knife. Why had her parents left the Fire Nation? Why had they tried to pretend they were from the Earth Kingdom? And why didn't the soldiers who killed her parents kill her? It made absolutely no sense. Perhaps the Fire Nation didn't care about forgotten children, and the ghosts that they became. Perhaps the orphans that they made were just a well-kept secret, another hidden diatribe that the world was never allowed to know.

Slowly, wincing the entire way, she turned over. To her surprise, Zuko was lying just inches away from her, asleep. She blearily tried to recall the previous night's events, but found that she couldn't. He looked terrible; there were two small cuts on his neck, crusted over with scabs, and a long gash on his cheek that had been tended to by his Uncle. Still, he slept peacefully, and she watched him, playing idly with his hair until he finally stirred.

He blinked several times, frowning, as if he was unsure where he was, and why Kiya was staring at him. Finally, he stretched, groaning as his muscles ached in protest. "Remind me to never fight with you again."

Kiya's lips quirked in a smile. "You'll just forget."

"Probably." His smile faded, as his eyes dipped down to her throat. He reached out with one hand, hesitantly stroking her bruised skin. He whispered, "I'm sorry about your neck."

"And my ribs and my head?" She grinned to let him know she was kidding, as she reached out to touch his neck. "I'm sorry about yours, too. Luckily, neither of us did any real damage."

He made a face. "I'm not sure about that. I think you kneed my liver up into my lungs."

She didn't laugh. She only smiled, afraid that if she laughed she would immediately start crying right afterwards. There was a storm brewing inside of her, and their banter was the only thing keeping her anchored while the thunder raged. To preserve what little emotional framework she had left, she promptly changed the subject. "Um… what happened last night?"

The smile slipped off of Zuko's face, and he rolled over, staring at the ceiling. From where she lay, she only had a view of the left side of his face, and found that she liked it quite a lot, despite the fact that it was the side where his scar dominated most of his skin. There wasn't something ugly about it, as others seemed to think. She found it fascinating, and alluring. The fact that he was flawed so obviously made him all the more beautiful to Kiya. The scar proved to her that he had been beset by ordeals she'd never know, and he had lived, made stronger by his trials. There was nothing quite like it.

"You… went into the Blank State, after everything that happened. I had to pull you out of it."

"You… what?" She blinked twice, hearing his words but not quite comprehending them.

"I just kept you warm, that's all," Zuko grumbled at the ceiling.

"You're not supposed to pull a Viper out of the Blank State! Do you know how dangerous that can be? More often than not, they turn violent!" She couldn't believe he had done something so dumb. Did he have a death wish?

Zuko looked mildly surprised, as he turned back to face her. "You didn't. Besides, I couldn't just sit here and let you do that to yourself. You have to feel, you know. If we didn't have emotions, even the painful ones, we'd just be ghosts."

How did she explain that she already felt like a ghost, cursed to wander with no home and no family to speak of? She didn't say anything along those lines, though. Instead, she leaned forward and kissed his cheek, the side with the scar. His words had touched her, more than she would ever let him know. To think he actually cared enough to put himself in danger for _her_… it was almost unfathomable. "Thank you. You don't know how much it means to me."

His eyes were pleased, but shocked. He touched the place she had kissed, eyes shining with wonder. As if it was too much to grasp that she actually _liked_ him. And as much as she knew it was a bad idea to like him, she had grown to in the time that she had known them, despite their lies, and despite their trying to kill each other. _Nobody's perfect_, she thought, dropping her gaze back down to the blankets at their feet, kicked away by restless sleep.

"There's something else, isn't there?" He sounded doubtful.

How well he read her! She couldn't put it off any longer, now that he had brought it up. Finally, she had to ask. Blinking furiously, trying to stave away the emotions that were crawling up her throat, Kiya whispered, "Tell me something."

"Anything."

"I-" She hesitated, her voice catching in her throat. Her hands were shaking; she wondered if he felt it._Ask it, damn you. Ask it, you coward. Speak those words, even as your heart already knows the answer. Speak and let him judge you. _"I killed him, didn't I?"

There was a pause to the morning, where everything seemed to stop for one infinitesimal moment. Even the crew above, busy working on the ship seemed to fall silent, their murmuring too cheerful for the grave mood that had suddenly draped itself over the room.

Zuko nodded.

All at once, Kiya burst into tears. All that had been pent up over the years-the loss of the parents she'd barely known, the lies she'd been told all her life, the best friend she'd had to lose twice, and killing the figure whom she had once worshipped-all of it seemed to cave in on her, crashing over her head like a tidal wave. She cried hard, her entire body shaking violently, like a dainty, dew-sparkled leaf caught in a tumultuous tempest. Without a word, Zuko gathered her up in his arms and held her close, stroking her hair and rubbing her back as she cried for all the family she'd never known and for all of the victims she'd made like herself, killing on a premise of lies. She cried until she could barely breathe, until her throat was raw and her eyes were dry. Even then, she continued to choke out painful, heaving sobs, her fists clenched against Zuko's chest.

Finally, when the sun was high in the sky, the tidal wave in her seemed to fall, ebbing away into ripples, and she fell silent. She breathed heavily, her breaths warming the bare skin of his chest that was slick with her tears. Her body relaxed in his arms, so much that for a long while, he thought that she had fallen back to sleep.

He hugged her to him, feeling comforted by the close proximity of their bodies. She was warm, and she smelled like sleep and soot. He was suddenly overcome by the desire to kiss her, and he remembered the night when she had tried to trick him, using her body. If she tried it again, he knew it would work. It wasn't just that she looked like Irada… there was something else about her, something in her eyes that captivated him more than he wanted to admit it.

Slowly, she pulled away from him, slipping out of her arms. She turned away for a moment so she could wipe her face, her hair hanging down like a curtain so that he had to wait patiently to see her when she turned back towards him. When she finally did, his breath hitched.

She really was so beautiful. Everything about her enthralled him, from the deep dusky red of her hair, to the fluid way she breathed while she slept. She was gorgeous to him, even with red-rimmed eyes, and a nose pink from crying, and with hair still mussed from sleep. Zuko laid back against the sleeping pad, staring at her with new eyes. Maybe… just maybe he had grown feelings for her, in the months that they'd known each other. It seemed impossible and ridiculous, since she had tried to kill him more than once, and they were constantly butting heads, but his life had never been normal, not in the least. The thought of them together made his head spin. It was like an impossible idea blossoming on the horizon of his mind.

She combed her fingers through her tangled hair, narrowing her bloodshot eyes at him. "What?"

He shook his head, sure that if he even tried to sum up what he was feeling in words, he'd fail. "Nothing."

She didn't press him. With a small sigh, she laid back down beside him, curling up in the shadow of his warmth. She made a purring sound, like a stray bearded cat that Zuko had encountered once when he was a child. Almost hesitantly, he wrapped his arms around her, holding her to him. She didn't pull away, so he took it as a sign that he was not the only one feeling weird, unexplainable emotions.

"So what now?"

"Hm?" She sounded like she was falling back to sleep.

Gently, he nudged her. "What are you going to do now?"

A pause. She shifted, so she could look him in the eyes when she spoke. That was another thing that he wasn't used to. So many people were afraid to look him directly in the eyes, because he was royalty or because they were scared he might do something violent. She had never been that way. It was both refreshing and disconcerting at the same time.

"Honestly? I have no idea. I mean, what _does_ a person do after… all that? Things aren't exactly going to be the same from now on." She blew out a breath, frowning. "I was thinking that I might go back to the Vipers' den. Maybe try and restore order."

"Do you think that's smart? What if they're mad at you?"

She snorted. "They won't be. Trust me. If I've learned anything recently about the Vipers, it's that they're only loyal to those who deliver on their promises." Kiya shrugged. "Mostly, I just want to explain to them what has happened, and possibly try and find someone who feels the way that I do. Someone who still believes in honor." She blinked, her green eyes curious. "What about you? What will you do?"

"Me? I'll do what I always do. I'll obsess over the Avatar."

"Aha!" Kiya grinned. "So you admit to obsessing over him!"

"What? No, I didn't mean to say that! You… you tricked me!" Zuko glared, huffing out a breath. "I do _not_obsess over him. I just get… involved."

"Yeah, okay, Mr. Involved. Whatever you say." Kiya stretched, her toes curling as she inhaled sharply through her teeth. It was going to be another couple of days before she would be able to fight again. Holding a hand to her bruised ribs, she rolled away from Zuko and stood, running her other hand through her hair. She needed a comb.

"So that's it, then?" Zuko was sitting on the edge of the sleeping pad, staring at her back. "You're just going to go back to the Vipers?"

Kiya turned slowly, to face him. "And you're just going to go back to the Avatar. We're returning to our lives, like it should be."

"You can't really believe that!" He gazed at her incredulously. "What about everything that happened here?"

"That's why I have to go back, Zuko. Because of everything that happened here." _Say you don't want me to go, and I'll stay. Say you want me here, with you, and I will stay._ But he wouldn't. Kiya could already see by the look on his face that if she were going to stay, it would be because _she_ decided to. He wouldn't ask.

He frowned, getting to his feet. "What about _you_, Kiya? You're Fire Nation now. What are you going to do about that?"

Kiya made a face. "If I'm going to retain any of my sanity, I need to take things one step at a time. I can't think about being Fire Nation right now, Zuko. I have to take care of things with the Vipers first." _I need some time._

"You can't _think_ about being Fire Nation right now? You're Fire Nation, whether you can think about it or not! You're going to have to face it sooner or later."

"And I _will_! But not now. Now I need-"

The ship suddenly groaned, metal screeching somewhere from outside. The floor beneath their feet trembled. The ship stopped short, sending Kiya flying into Zuko. He grabbed her, steadying the two of them against the wall as everything in their shared room went flying. They looked at each other, eyes mirroring their simultaneous thought: _What the hell was that? Letting go of Kiya, Zuko pulled his shirt up from the floor, tugging it on over his head. He tossed his hair out of his eyes, before grabbing her hand and pulling her from the room._

The corridors were empty, which Zuko immediately took as a bad sign. The two of them quickly made their way up to the surface, where again, they saw no people. However, when they reached the bright light of day, they saw something else.

A Fire Nation ship, larger and more elaborate than Zuko's was in the water in front of them, blocking the way. A gangplank had been stretched across from the unknown ship to Zuko's, but again, there was no one in sight.

"Who is that?" Kiya asked, looking at the ship.

Zuko shook his head. "I don't know. It doesn't look like any of the ships I've seen before."

"That's because it's not." A voice said from behind them.

Zuko and Kiya both spun around to see a younger girl standing on the very edge of his ship. She was obviously Fire Nation, dressed in scarlet. Her dark hair was pulled up in a way that suggested she was royalty, and she had gold eyes that were lit with malice. She stood with her hands on her hips, a mocking smile playing across her lips.

Zuko blanched. "Azula."

Kiya started. _This_ was his sister? Just staring at the girl too long gave Kiya goose bumps, which was something she was unaccustomed to. There was something off about the way the Fire Princess was smiling, with just a hint of madness behind her eyes. It made Kiya nervous.

The girl's lips curved like a sword, her smile just as sharp. "Hello to you too, dear brother. I hope I didn't wake you." Her eyes cut to Kiya, and her smile only widened. "And your charming companion."

"What are you doing here?" Zuko clenched his fists at his sides, his entire body shaking. "How did you even find me?"

"Can't a girl visit her brother?" Azula jumped down from the side of the ship, striding towards them with purposeful steps. Her boots seemed to echo in Kiya's ears, clanging against the metal of the ship. "The Fire Nation has been so boring without you. I've had absolutely no one to taunt!"

"Enough games!" Zuko said fiercely, glaring. "What are you doing here? Where's Uncle?"

"I have no idea where old Uncle Iroh is. Everyone else on the other hand, they've been…" Her wicked smile blossomed. "_Neutralized. _As for what I'm doing here…" She halted a few feet away from them, superiorly examining her long, sharp fingernails. "Father sent me. To find you, and ask you to come home."

Zuko stared, his mouth dropping open. "He wants me to come… home?"

"Yes. He's realized what a mistake it was to send you away, and he realizes now how important family,_our_ family, is to him. He sent me to find you, and bring you home." Her gaze turned cold. "I didn't have to come all this way, you know."

Something. There was something about the way she was speaking, the way she was standing. There was something off about her words, some intangible wrongness that Kiya couldn't place. A spark grew in the back of Kiya's mind, some sort of seed that needed to grow. What was it that she had heard about Azula? What was it that was making all of her nerves stand on edge? _Think, damn you._Something about Azula. There! A memory, rooted in her mind. Something about…

"_Do you hear what I say?"_

"_Just once. I think you said… 'Azula always lies'. Is that true?"_

"_Yeah."_

_Azula always lies_.

She was lying. Kiya could see it, in the way she narrowed her eyes at Zuko's shocked and pleased demeanor. She had developed just the right story that would entice her brother back home, or at least, back to her ship. So she was lying, trying to get Zuko to go with her. But to what end? He had failed to capture the Avatar again… had she come to take him as a prisoner?

"Zuko…" Kiya murmured out of the corner of his mouth, tightening her grip on his hand.

He didn't seem to hear her. "You're right. Why did you come? You could have sent a messenger hawk."

"Would you have believed me?"

His silence spoke more than he could have.

Azula grinned. "Exactly."

Zuko made a face. "Well, who says I believe you now? Who says you're not lying right now?"

Kiya squeezed his hand again, hoping her words could somehow travel soundlessly. _Yes. She is lying. It's not true_. Again, he ignored her.

"Someone does," Azula said, tossing her head. Her bangs settled around her face once more, framing her features like a shadow. "You see, I had a feeling that you might not believe me. I had a feeling that you'd jump to the conclusion that I'm lying, because, let's face it, I usually am. So I thought I'd bring someone to convince you. _She_ can tell you that I'm not lying." She turned to look over her shoulder at the gangway. "You may come out now!"

"Zuko," Kiya whispered urgently, leaning into him even as he pulled away to see who was coming. "She's lying. You said so yourself, you said-"

"What?" Zuko gasped, his face completely horror-stricken, as what blood was left there drained away from his cheeks. Slowly, Kiya turned to apprehend whatever terror Azula had brought to face them.

And found herself to face to face with a mirror. Only, it wasn't an actual mirror. It was a girl who was walking calmly across the gangway. She had red hair, half of which was pulled back into a knot at the back of her head. The other strands were loose and flowing over her shoulders, all the way down to her back. Her eyes were like emeralds, and just as cold and hard. Her mouth was set in a furious line, and she was dressed in Fire Nation clothes, in a dress that fell to just below her knees, and black pointed boots.

"Hello, _Zuzu_," The girl mocked, tossing her hair over her shoulder in a way that was so similar to Azula. "Long time, no see."

Zuko was rigid, unable to even speak.

"You…" Kiya managed to choke out, her entire body shaking. Realization spilled over head like an ice cold wave. It wasn't herself that she had seen, it was this stranger. "You're the girl from my nightmare. The fire-bender in the mirror."

The girl's green eyes locked on Kiya. "_So_." Her mouth formed the word perfectly, almost seductively, as she spoke with Kiya's voice. "You're the one. You're the girl that my _boyfriend_ has become so enamored with. You're my twin. My other half. My _missing piece_. Right, Zuzu?"

Several words froze in Kiya's mind: _Boyfriend. Twin._ Never had her heart beat so loud or fast. Just when she thought it was all over, when she had thought she had rid her life of its prime evil… Another demon walked in. Pulling away from Zuko, she turned to look at him fully, feeling the trust she had placed in him shrinking. "What is going on here? Who is she? What is she talking about?"

The girl laughed, a shrieking mockery of actual amusement. "Yes, Zuzu, tell her! Tell her all about me, and the _lies_ you spun out of thin air to make me think that you loved me!" Her last words turned angry and harsh, and Zuko physically flinched like they had hurt him.

He couldn't look at Kiya when he spoke. "Her name is Irada. She-we grew up together. She's the adopted daughter of a Fire Nation noble, and when we were younger, our parents arranged our marriage. That all sort of fell through, though, when I was exiled." Finally, he looked at her, and she felt her heart crack at the look in his eyes. "When I saw you that day, when you tried to kill me… I thought you were her. But when I realized you weren't, I figured that the two of you must be twins. I was never sure, I only suspected it." He swallowed hard, his gaze focused on the deck. "But yesterday, Gyong said that you were originally Fire Nation. The two of you must have been separated in that village, when the soldiers came for your parents. Gyong did say you were wrapped in a green blanket. They must've thought you were Earth Kingdom. Irada was taken back and adopted by the noble couple, and you were taken by Gyong."

"So we _are_ twins," Irada interrupted, looking away. "My parents told me the same story… only they said that I was wrapped in a torn Fire Nation flag. The soldiers who rescued me thought I'd been stolen."

"_Rescued_ you?" Kiya burst out. "Those soldiers killed my… our parents! Our _real_ parents!"

Irada stared at her. "What do you mean?"

Azula rolled her eyes. "Oh, please. What sort of nonsense is that? Irada, you don't actually believe this peasant girl, do you? She's an _assassin_ who was sent to kill my brother, and instead, developed feelings for him." She shook her head. "How pathetic."

Whirling, Kiya faced Zuko. "You can't go back with her. She's lying. Your father doesn't really want you to come home, she's only saying that so she can take you prisoner."

Zuko looked doubtful, his eyes on Irada.

Azula sighed with exasperation. "Yes, fine, we were going to take you prisoner. You've caught me." Her face hardened into a pitiless mask. "I'm surprised you even believed me in the first place, _Zuzu_. How easy you are to deceive! Why would Father want you to come home? He doesn't need you. You're only a failure and an exile. The only child he needs is me. The only child he even _wants_ is ME!" She laughed loudly.

Kiya looked at him pleadingly. "Zuko, don't listen to her. You're _not_ a failure. You don't need your Father's approval to mean something!" Kiya grabbed his hand, holding it tightly. "You don't need his love to prove that you're worth something more than they've led you to believe."

He didn't say anything. He only shook his head.

"Oh, shut up!" Azula snapped. "Irada, if this girl is truly your sister, she's _really_ annoying. And look! She did steal your boyfriend! Aren't you the least bit angry about that?"

Irada nodded, her face twisting. "As a matter of fact, I am. First you steal my face, and then you steal my boyfriend. You're a pitiful excuse for an assassin, and I'm embarrassed to even think that we share blood!"

"So there's just one thing to do then, isn't there?" Azula asked.

Irada slid into a stance, her hands out in front of her, one of them balled into a fist. "Ready when you are."

"They're not seriously going to attack us, are they?" Kiya whispered, even as Zuko slipped easily into a stance of his own. Just standing next to him, she could feel the warmth emanating from his body. His temper was bordering on explosive, and if there was a fight, it was going to get messy.

Irada's hands both burst into flames, as the same moment that Zuko's did. "Yeah, I think they are," He replied, as Kiya pulled her daggers out of their sheaths.

Azula snickered. "Oh, this is cute. Looks like you got all of the worthwhile genes, Irada!" Her arms went up, blue light suddenly glowing in her hands. Cupping them, her hands began crackling with electricity, her fingernails lit with flickering blue flames. All of the hairs on Kiya's arms stood straight up, as the air grew thick with an electric current.

Kiya's eyes widened. "You didn't tell me Azula could bend lightning." _And that my stupid sister is a fire-bender!_

Zuko glanced at her uneasily. "Uh… surprise?"

"If we live through this," Kiya grumbled, "I'm going to kill you."

_Really, though, that won't be a problem. Because we are so dead. Who knew that Zuko and I would be here together, at the end of a ridiculous journey, about to be murdered by our own sisters?_

_Yeah. Me neither_.

* * *

**The end! Sorry to leave you hanging, but rest assured, there will be a sequel. **

**Disclaimer - I listen to music when I write, and as a result of that, I take a lot of inspiration from songs. The title of the story itself, as well as the chapter titles, were taken from songs, and I'd like to give credit to those songs now:**

**-The titles the story and of chapters 1, 2, 4, & 10 come from the Blue Oyster Cult song, "_Burning For You_".**  
**-The title of chapter 3 [Tangled In My Imperfections] comes from the Celldweller song, _"Fadeaway". _**  
**-The title of chapter 5 [The Flame of Error] comes from the Coheed & Cambria song, "_In The Flame of Error_".**  
**-The title of chapter 6 [Where The Lines Overlap] comes from the Paramore song of the same name.**  
**-The title of chapter 7 [Search and Destroy] comes from the 30 Seconds To Mars song of the same name.**  
**-The title of chapter 8 [Slowly Taking Me Apart] comes from the Nine Inch Nails song, "_Something I Can Never Have_".**  
**-The title of chapter 9 [I Caught Fire] comes from a The Used song of the same name.**

**I am neither affiliated with any of these bands' labels, or the members themselves. I just like their music, and I'm not trying to plagiarize or anything. They just inspire me; that's all.**

**Now that's out of the way...  
Thank you so much to all of my readers; those who put this on alert, and those who favorited it, and especially to those who took the time to review! You're awesome and I love you :) Hopefully you'll enjoy the next one when it rolls around. Check my profile for news on the sequel, and my other work(s)!**


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